


There's More To It Than That

by DieFuss, shipsfrecklesandhorseface



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Fluff, Graphic Description, Loss of Ligament (specifically arm), M/M, Nightmares, POV Third Person, Self-Esteem Issues, Shifts between Jesse and Hanzo's pov, oc animal charcters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 08:29:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 42,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15748032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DieFuss/pseuds/DieFuss, https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipsfrecklesandhorseface/pseuds/shipsfrecklesandhorseface
Summary: Hanzo is a man dying of a horrible curse. Jesse is a handyman trying to live his life the best he can. When an attack forces the two together they both realize that there is more to themselves and their relationship than they had previously thought.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is for the McHanzo Reverse Big Bang and it is my first work in a very long time so I'm sorry if it isn't great. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it and please take a look at the fabulous art, my partner, Diefuss made to go along with this fic. It's fantastic :)

He awakes in a cold sweat. His heart pulses rapidly and he gasps for air. His cheeks are stained with tears.   
Eventually he starts to try to breathe slowly. It takes many breathes, but he begins to take control of his lungs and heart. Once he has control he wipes away his tear and takes in one last deep breathe.

This is Hanzo Shimada’s morning routine. Awaking is always hard and his nightmares seem to be getting worse, but he gets by. He has to so that no one worries. Not the animals he takes care of and feeds, not the very small amount of people he barely knows, and especially not Genji. 

If Genji knew about his nightmares or his worsening condition who knows how he would react. His brother is strong and Hanzo knows this, but he couldn’t bear to cause him pain or induce worry. Therefore, Hanzo pushes his nightmares away and goes about the day.

The first thing he does is check the pocket watch he keeps on his bedside table. It’s about 5 in the morning. 

“Ugh” He groans as he lays back against his pillow and stares at the ceiling. He wishes he could sleep longer, but since his nightmares have been getting worse sleep is a luxury that Hanzo cannot seem to afford. So with a deep, annoyed sigh he gets up and makes his way to the bathroom to start his day.

In the bathroom Hanzo lights a small candle to provide him light since the sun has not started rising yet. He then proceeds to check the indigo scars on his right thigh and left forearm to see if they have grown any. He checks them carefully using a tape measure he keeps in the bathroom to see if they are larger or longer. Thankfully, they have not grown much since he measured them yesterday, but they have spread out more. The one on his thigh is now closer to his knee and the one on his forearm has spread to his wrist and a small part of his hand. Hanzo sighs as he finishes measuring and places the measuring tape on the sink. He then runs his hands through his trying to drive away his fear and worry. As he does he looks at the indigo scar on his left hand and forearm. Its color is beautiful. Its shape and the shape of the one on his thigh as though Hanzo had been struck my lighting was powerful. And yet both these things made Hanzo so scared. 

He can’t afford to let this scar and the other increase much more, otherwise death would reach him sooner rather than later. He knows he’s destined to die thanks to the spiritual contract he is under, but he would like to prolong his death as much as he possibly can. At this point he has calculated that he has at least 2 more years ahead of him, possibly less, and he intends to keep it that way so he can make arrangements and ensure Genji will be okay once he is gone. He will have to tell Genji, eventually, that his lifespan is fading quicker than he had led him on to think, but for now that could wait. At the moment he needs to focus on the present. 

After checking his scars Hanzo takes a cold bath; the water helping him to push his nightmares away and wake up more from his obscure sleepiness. He washes his body carefully and cleans his long, dark hair to ensure it has a nice shine to it. Once finished he steps out of the tub and dries off his body with a towel then wraps it around his waist. He then wrings out his hair, brushes it, and braids a piece of it before heading to his room to get dressed. 

In his room Hanzo looks through the draws of his dresser until he finds a blue, long sleeve, button up shirt and some black pants to wear. As he dresses himself he starts to hear tapping on his bedroom window and he lets out a small huff of air and smiles. He finishes dressing more quickly then and once he is finished he looks to the window to greet the two hummingbirds tapping, gently, yet rapidly at the glass with their beaks. 

“I understand. Give me a moment.” Hanzo tells them before he leaves his room and proceeds down the hall to his small kitchen. In the kitchen he grabs a cup from one of the cupboards above the counter then gets a couple of tablespoons of sugar from one of the small black containers near the sink. As he does this he sees that he is running low on the white substance. Hanzo frowns. It appears I will have to go to town soon. 

He has been running low on supplies for quite some time now, but he does not look forward to the prospect of traveling to the small town near the woods where he dwells. He has been trying to avoid town since his condition started to worsen so that he wouldn’t have to face Genji or his few acquaintances that live there. It had been almost three months since his last visit, and he must admit he feels bad for not going to see Genji, but he cannot let him see the increasing dark circles under his eyes or how much more his scars have grown. He hasn’t even used any magic for a long time, but he can still feel the curse slowly killing him and he can almost hear the spirits hungering for his soul. At least his less, extraneous use of magic has slowed the process a small amount.

While lost in his thoughts the hummingbirds outside watch Hanzo through the window above the sink and become annoyed that the dark haired man is not working on making their food. So they begin to tap on the window more franticly than they did the one in his room. 

The tapping snaps Hanzo out of his thoughts and he looks towards the window with an apologetic expression. “My apologies. I will be finished soon.” He replies as he goes back to the task at hand and ignores his thoughts of going to town for now. 

After placing the lid back on the sugar container he goes over to the sink and fills the cup with water. He then grabs a spoon from a drawer to the right of the sink and mixes the water and the sugar before going over to the stove to heat the mixture. As he walks to the stove, Hanzo grabs a matchbox from the cabinet close by and a small pot to place the water in for heating then at the stove he sets the pot down on the top of it then grabs a couple fire logs from the stack to the right of the stove. He places the logs into the stove then grabs a match from the matchbox and lights the logs. It doesn’t take them long to catch fire and heat up the stove, and once its warm enough Hanzo proceeds to pour the sugar water into the pot on the top of the stove and heats the water. He heats it until the water comes to a boil then the takes the pot off the heat and allows the mixture to cool so that the hummingbird feeder he keeps outside is not warped and so the hummingbirds are not harmed. 

Many people would consider this a lot of work just to feed a couple of small birds, but Hanzo considers the animals that live around his home to be his friends and that they deserve as much respect and help as any human, maybe even more considering some of the “characters” Hanzo has met in his life. Therefore, he takes great care in helping the animals in the woods.

After about 15 minutes, the scared man checks the sugar water and finds it at a suitable temperature to place in the hummingbird feeder outside. So, he takes the pot and heads to the front door of his home, opens it, and proceeds outside.   
The forest is calm with the sounds of birds singing and it is softly lit by the dawn. Dew sticks on the grass and the sounds of animals rising to greet the morning is heard throughout. It is peaceful and beautiful and is the only good thing about waking at this time of day in Hanzo’s opinion, that, and the sunrise. It always makes him feel relief to see it because it lets him know that he has lived to see another day even though the nightmares and the pain he feels have tortured him throughout the night. 

While enjoying the sound of the woods Hanzo goes over to the hummingbird feeder he has hanging on the low branch of a pine tree near his home. As he heads over to it the hummingbirds that have been waiting on him fly over to him and buzz around the pot he holds with excitement. One of the hummingbirds even tries to drink the sugar water within the pot but Hanzo moves it away from him.   
“Nah ah, be patient. You have waited this long, you can wait until I place the water into the feeder.” He scolds before reaching the tree and taking the feeder off the branch. 

Once he unscrews the lid at the top of the feeder, Hanzo pours the mixture into the feeder carefully, then screws the lid on it and hangs it back onto the branch. No sooner than he places the feeder back on the branch the humming birds are at it drinking the mixture within. He smiles at them as they drink.   
He stares at them for a moment to ensure they are enjoying themselves before he moves on to check his other bird feeders hanging in the trees close to his home. Each holds different foods for the different birds that live in the woods and some have already started to gather around them and eat. They all appear to be half-filled, but some are running low and Hanzo knows he will have to go buy them more feed soon. He hates the idea of going to town, but to ensure the birds have enough food he will have to go soon. He thinks about this as he moves from the bird feeders to the burrows and dens near his home to check on the animals that dwell within them. The rabbits appear to be in good health as Hanzo sees them leave their burrows to find food, the fox who lives in a small den made of a tree trunk is still snoozing softly, and the spotted owl that resides in the pine closest to Hanzo’s house is flying around the trees. The only friend Hanzo hasn’t seen yet is Maki.   
Maki is a wolf who had been injured at a young age by hunters. Hanzo had found her and nursed her back to health. To heal her fully he had to use a bit of his magic, but it was worth it for such a beautiful creature to continue living. She usually came by when Hanzo did his rounds around the forest in the morning, but she hadn’t appeared yet which worried him slightly. He was about to call out for her until he heard a few branches break near him. He turns around quickly with his arms held up in a fighting position, but he instantly relaxes when he sees Maki’s glistening gray coat. 

Hanzo lets out a curse in his native tongue before speaking to the wolf and petting her gently. “You know it is not nice to sneak up on people like that.”  
Maki quirks her head slightly and seems to smirk in response. 

“Do not look at me like that. You know better, and for that I will not share any of my breakfast with you.”

Maki whines in response to that and gives the man who saved her a sorrowful look. 

Hanzo looks at her and tries not to give in to her look, but he can’t stand to see her upset. He sighs, defeated, then begins to walk towards his house. “Come on you mangy wolf.” He says as he walks and Maki raises her head with her ears pointed up happily and joins her savior on his walk home.   
As they walk Hanzo continues to think about heading to town, and wonders how much longer he can avoid seeing his brother.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
2 hours. That’s how long Jesse McCree had been outside of Mrs. Ana Amari’s house trying to fix the roof after a storm blew through town and damaged it. It wasn’t necessarily hard to fix the damage, but the work was tedious and today was an especially hot day, probably one of the last they’d see before fall began to settle in… at least that what the handyman was hoping for. 

As he steps down the later into the yard he is very tired and in need of a nice cool place to sit for a moment and drink before going on to the next place that needed his help. So far today he had been asked to fix a fence, a clogged sink, a roof and now he’d be heading to the doc’s office to fix… something, Lucio wasn’t very specific on the details. He had just told him that Dr. Zenyatta had needed him to help with something. Hopefully it was something indoors. 

“I see you have completed your work.” 

Jesse is startled by the sudden voice and nearly falls off the ladder, but he regains his balance quickly then cranes his neck a bit to see who had spoken to him. A few feet below him stands Ana with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. “Damn Ana, I didn’t even hear you walk out here.” 

The old lady chuckles. “I’m just trying to keep you on your toes. Anyway, thank you for repairing my roof.”

“No problem.” Jesse states as he steps off the ladder onto the grass. He turns to face the older woman and grins at her. “It should hold up fine as long as no rocks come falling from the sky.”

Ana chuckles in response. “That shouldn’t be a problem. Anyway I have your pay in the house and some lunch cooked up for you inside.”

“Well, that’s awfully kind of you Ana but I…”

“No buts,” Ana interrupts before Jesse has a chance to refuse. “You need to eat. Now come inside and wash up.” She states definitively then heads to the front door of the house before Jesse can try and refuse again. 

Jesse sighs, but smiles contentedly. Ana was always like this when he came to fix something for her. She would pay him and feed him then as they had lunch together she would ask how he was doing. She would even give him left overs if there was anything left. This is how it had been since he started fixing things for her and he was very grateful for her hospitality. Sometimes it is difficult for him to find work in this small town, but Ana seemed to always find something for Jesse to do and would always make him food and pay him for his troubles.

She wasn’t the only person in town who was kind like this. Her daughter Fareeha would sometimes check up on Jesse and they’d go drinking together. Dr. Zenyatta would give checkups to people for small fees and ensure they were well taken care of. His assistant Lucio always greeted people with a kind smile and would do his utmost to help a person in need, and Genji, one of Jesse’s best friends, always knew how to make the handyman feel better when he was at his lowest. 

Yeah, there were good people in this small town and for Jesse it was the best thing he could ask for after the rough life he had lived before coming to this small town.   
After he finishes eating and chatting with Ana, Jesse takes his pay and Ana gives him what food was leftover. Today, she had made spiced chicken with potatoes and beans which tasted extremely delicious and would probably taste just as well for dinner when Jesse returned home.   
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Once he’s secured his tools and leftovers in his satchel, Jesse gives Ana his thanks then walks to the doctor’s office to see what Zenyatta needs fixed. The walk to the doctor’s office is under a mile from where Ana lives and Jesse is very happy for that considering how horribly hot it is today. Still, even though the walk isn’t long, he takes a small canteen that Ana let him fill up at her home out of his bag and takes large gulps of the water inside when he makes it to the door to Zen’s office.  
As he drinks Lucio, Zen’s young and optimistic assistant/ doctor in training, comes to the door and walks outside to check on him.

“Hey Jesse, you doing okay? Your drinking that water like it’s the best tasting thing you’ve ever had.” Lucio says with slight worry, but a smile on his face nonetheless.

Jesse takes one last gulp of water before closing up his canteen and replying. “I’m alright, just not enjoying this awful heat. Don’t get me wrong, I like warm weather, but this heat is hotter than the flames in hell.”

Lucio laughs. “Man that’s a little much don’t you think.”

“Says the guy who’s been inside most of the day out of the sun.”

“Fair point. Anyway, you are right about the heat being pretty bad. We’ve had about 5 people come in due to heat exhaustion today.”

“Damn really, that’s crazy.”

"Yeah, but Dr. Zen, Genji, and I were able to help them out and get them back on their feet.”

“That’s good, speaking of the doc what’s he needing me to fix? You weren’t really clear when we talked yesterday.”

“Oh, well…” Lucio starts nervously, but before he could finish Zenyatta walks out the door.

“Ah, hello Jesse. It is good to see you.” Zenyatta says with a slight wave of his right hand.

“Good to see you to Doc.” Jesse replies with a tip of his Stetson. Most people in town find it ridiculous for Jesse to wear such a hat, especially as he works, but it keeps the sun out of his face and it means a lot to him. “Lucio tells me ya’ll have been pretty busy today.”

“Yes, we have seen many people today thanks to this heat, but it was nothing the three of us could not handle. Speaking of patients Lucio could you attend to the two people who are inside in the waiting room. I would like to speak to McCree privately.” 

“Of course.” Lucio replies to Zenyatta with a bright smile before waving good bye to Jesse and heading inside.

Once Lucio is gone, the two men stand outside quietly. Jesse takes a glance at Zen to see if he could get a read on what the problem was. Between Lucio’s nervous reaction to him asking what was wrong and Zen wanting to speak to him alone it had to be something more serious than a clogged sink. However, Zen’s expression was very calm and McCree couldn’t pick up on any worry or concern. So, he just decided to be blunt and ask. 

“So, what exactly is it that you need me to fix?” 

Zenyatta inhales briefly through his nose before replying with his own question. “How long has it been since you have seen Genji’s brother?”

Jesse was caught off guard by the question. “Well, um… let me think.” 

Jesse had seen Genji’s brother a few times around town since the two brothers moved there. He lived in the forest, but he always seemed to come to town at least every two weeks for supplies and to visit with his brother, however… “I don’t think I’ve seen him for a couple months now, and Genji hasn’t mentioned him coming into town when we’ve gone out drinking.”

“And how has Genji seemed to you as of late?” Zenyatta asks, keeping his calm pose.

Jesse thinks for a moment. Him and Genji had hung out a couple of days ago. They had went to his house and shared a couple drinks and laughs, but he did remember noticing that Genji had a troubled look in his eye. When he had asked him what was wrong Genji had just jokingly blamed it on Jesse’s “shitty taste in alcohol” then went on as if nothing was wrong. 

“He’s seemed rather worrisome.” Jesse replies starting to feel concerned. “You think it has to do with his brother not coming into town in a while?”

“Yes, I do.” Zenyatta replies. “Genji has been doing his work fine and he appears well when he is helping Lucio and I with patients. However, we have both noticed that he is troubled by something. So I spoke to him and apparently he has not heard from his brother in almost three months. He wishes to go visit him and take him supplies, but he has no mode of transportation besides walking and to be frank I do not wish for him to go out there alone. The forest can be very dangerous.”

“Yeah. So, are you wanting me to take Genji to see his brother?”

“Yes, and if you would like I could pay you for…”

“I’m gonna stop you right there Doc.” The handyman interrupts as he holds up his hand. “You know you don’t have to pay me. Genji is my friend and I’ll take him wherever he needs to go. I just wish he had asked me.” 

“Well, we both know how stubborn Genji can be about asking for help.”

Jesse huffs and smiles in response. “Yeah. I remember when he fell off my roof that one time. It took me, Lucio, and Fareeha to drag him to your office for a look over.”

Zenyatta chuckles. “Yes, I remember. Thank goodness he did not break anything and just had some minor bruising.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I guess I should talk to Genji and see when he wants to head out. By the way where is he at…”

“Howdy there cowboy.” Genji stated mockingly to Jesse as he appeared in front of the office with a bag of supplies. 

“Well, speak of the devil. Good to see you too you cheeky asshole. Where’ve you been at?” Jesse asked.

“I was out at the general store grabbing some stuff for Zen.” Genji replied before looking to the doctor and bowing his head respectfully. “I got everything that you asked for doctor.”

“Thank you Genji.” Zenyatta replied bowing his head towards Genji as if to emphasize his gratitude. 

“Anyway I’ll take these inside and get back to work. Good to see you cowb…”

“Actually, Genji, I will take these inside. Please stay outside and speak with your friend for a bit longer.” Zenyatta stated and before Genji could refuse the doctor took the bag from his hands and briskly went inside the office.

After Zenyatta left Jesse started to speak to Genji before he could weasel his way out of conversation. “So, the Doc tells me you’re wanting to go see your brother.”

Genji eyes widen in surprise, but then he sighs and scratches the back of his head. “I guess I should have suspected he would tell you, but you don’t have to…”

“Genji,” Jesse interrupts while placing a hand on Genji’s shoulder, “I’m taking you to see your brother whether you like it or not.”

“But Jess…” 

“No buts, I’m your friend and you should have told me that you were worrying. So, as payback for not telling me anything we’re going to see your brother.”

Genji looks at Jesse with a pout, but sighs in defeat. “Fine, if you insist, but I know you’re just helping me so you can see my ‘hot, beautiful’ brother.”

“Hey now I only said that one time and I was drunk off my ass.” Jesse states pointing a mad finger at his friend.

“Yeah, but you’re not denying that you think that of him” Genji teases.  
Jesse rolls his eyes in response, but then smirks. “Well, at least I’m not still tip toeing around asking one of my co-workers out.”

“Hey now, you can never be too careful with men in a small town like this.” Genji replies defensively.

“True, but Lucio’s been pretty clear on his stance in the issue.” 

“So, that doesn’t mean a guy can’t get nervous around someone so handsome.” Genji states, emphasizing the word handsome.

Jesse chuckles in response. “Well, hopefully you can tell Mr. Handsome how you feel before he slips away.”

“I will… just not yet. Anyway, how soon do you think we should head out?” 

“Well, how far does your brother live from town?”

“About a couple of miles.”

“Hmm, well, we could head out this evening. I only have two other houses to stop by and then I can head home and get Smokie and the wagon ready for travel that way you can bring your brother supplies. How long do you think it’ll take you to be ready?”

“Well, if Zenyatta lets me off early I can gather the supplies and meet you at your house about 4. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good.” Jesse says with a grin. He then stretches out his arm and steps onto the street. “Well, I should probably get going. Have to get over to the Spencer’s and fix a leaking gutter. I’ll see you around Mr. Pinning.”

“See you around, you filthy cowboy reject.” Genji replies with smile. “And thanks.”

“No problem.” Jesse states as he tips his hat. He then walks to the next house he has business with.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The moment Jesse makes it home he is very tired, but he has no time for rest. Genji would be by in about and hour and a half and Jesse had to make preparations for their trip. The first step in prep was making sure his girl was fed. 

After placing his tools down on the work table near his room and placing his leftovers from Ana in the kitchen, Jesse goes to the back door of his small home and into the fenced yard. The yard is much bigger in space than the house with tall grass and a tiny, open stable. In the stable a horse stands drinking water from a trough. Jesse walks over to the stable and sees her gulping it down. 

“Looks like you’re not a big fan of this heat either.” He says to the horse as he walks up and pets her mane. 

The horse raises her head up from the trough to look at Jesse and nuzzle her head on his chest. 

“Hey Smokes.” Jesse replies with fond affection in his voice as he moves both his hands down her neck and mane. Smokie is a gray mare with dark hair and had been with Jesse for almost 12 years now. She had been with him through his troubled past and had helped him get to this small town five years ago to escape that past. Now the two of them live as peacefully as they can in this town. She seems to enjoy herself here and she always likes it when visitors come. She especially likes it when Genji or Lucio visits because they always bring her treats. 

“So sweetie, Genji’s gonna be heading over soon and we’ve gotta help him go visit his brother. Now I know its hot, but once evening settles in it’ll get cooler. Plus we’re heading to the forest just a couple miles out of town so it’ll be cool there too. You think you’d be up for it?” 

Smokie nods slightly in response and whines a bit in excitement, probably because Genji will be coming over Jesse assumes. 

“That’s my girl. Alright then, let’s go get everything ready for the trip.” And with that Jesse takes Smokie to get her ready.

He starts by making sure Smokie has eaten properly then he grabs the saddle and reins from the stable and secures them onto Smokie. Once Smokie is taken care of he lets her rest in the stable while he changes into less sweaty clothes. 

He looks through the small wardrobe in his room and decides to wear a brown button up with the sleeves rolled up his arms, a pair of jeans and chaps, his usual boots and his hat. Once he puts his clothes on he grabs his gun and holster from the bottom of the wardrobe and a rope to tie to his belt loop. He then takes a look at himself in the mirror to make sure everything fit him right. It wasn’t that he was trying to look nice for Genji’s really hot brother or anything, but he wanted to make sure his clothes still fit him well… at least that’s the excuse Jesse was giving himself. 

After Jesse has dressed himself he goes back outside and leads Smokie out of the yard and to the right side of the house where his wagon sits. He hasn’t used it since he moved into town so he decides to tie Smokie to one of the posts on the porch and check the wheels on it. Overall, it looks as if it could make the small journey to the woods, but if Jesse ever wanted to take a long trip again he’d need new wheels, but hopefully he won’t have to make anymore long journeys. So, he decided the wagon will do and goes to grab Smokie so he can hook her to it. As he goes to get her, though, he finds Genji over with her feeding her a large, red apple and cooing at her. 

“Yeah, that’s a pretty girl. I bet Jesse doesn’t treat you this well does he?”

Jesse smirks at the remark. “Well, I bathe her and give her a place to stay. I think that’s pretty good.”

Genji is startled by Jesse’s sudden appearance, but relaxes quickly and quips “That’s pretty good, but such a pretty girl deserves much more luxury, don’t you Smokie.”

Smokie whines and nods her head back slightly.

“See, she agrees.” Genji states pointing to Smokie for emphasis.

Jesse shrugs his shoulders in response and walks over to Genji and Smokie. “Well, if you want to provide more luxury you won’t hear any complaints from me or Smokes. What are you doing here so early by the way? I wasn’t expecting you for another half hour.”

“Zen let me off a lot earlier than I expected him to so that I could get supplies for my brother.”

“And where are said supplies?” Jesse asked confused as to way Genji didn’t have any bags in his hands. 

“I set them on the porch so that I could give Smokie her apple. It’s not a lot since I had to walk here from town. I know you don’t live but under half a mile from town, but the walk in insufferable in this weather. Couldn’t you move a bit closer?”

“And give up Smokie’s roaming space? Hell no. Besides the exercise isn’t bad for you.”

“Ugh fine. I guess I can make the walk for my favorite girl.” Genji says before scratching the bridge of Smokie’s nose and giving it a gentle kiss. 

“Damn, at this rate you might be dating my horse instead of Lucio.” Jesse teases.

Genji flips his friend off. “Fuck you, anyway is everything ready to go?”

“Almost, just gotta hook Smokie up to the wagon then we should be ready to go.”

“See this is what I’m talking about. A wagon is so old compared to the buggies and coaches in the big cities. Smokie deserves to be attached to something more stylish.”

“Hey now, Smokie can make anything look good. Besides its either the wagon or we’re walking to your brother’s house while Smokie carriers the supplies.”  
Genji lets out a giant, annoyed sigh. “Fine. Wagon it is. You need any help hooking Smokie up?”

“Sure.”

With Genji’s help the rest of the preparations go smoothly and by 4:30 the two men and the horse are ready to make the journey to the woods… at least in physical appearance. However, as Jesse loads the last of the supplies Genji got into the wagon he sees his friend sitting on the stairs to the porch with a worried expression on his face. 

Jesse walks over to Genji and leans down and places a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, what’s eating you?”

Genji sighs before looking at Jesse. “Well, it’s just been a while since I’ve seen Hanzo and… I can’t help but wonder if he’s doing okay. He never waits this long to come to town.”

Jesse thinks for a moment and chooses his words carefully. “Well, judging by the few times I’ve seen him and what you’ve told me about him, Hanzo seems pretty capable of taking care of himself. So, I think he’s okay, but the only way we can make sure is if we head up there and check on him ourselves.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Genji replies with a reassured smile. He then stands up with a bit more enthusiasm. “I guess we should head towards the woods then before you chicken out of taking me.”

“Hey, I don’t chicken out of anything.” Jesse replies as the two men head towards the wagon. 

“Yeah, but going to see my ‘hot’ brother might give you cold feet.”

“I told you, I only said that because I was drunk.”

“Oh yeah, then way are you wearing your chaps and favorite shirt?”

Jesse shoves Genji slightly after that comment causing Genji to laugh. The two then ensure the wagon has everything and that Smokie is comfortable before beginning their journey to Hanzo’s home with Jesse riding Smokie and Genji in the wagon. 

Unknown to the both of them eyes had been watching the two and they were following, waiting until dusk to strike.


	2. Chapter 2

The trip so far had been very nice with Genji and Jesse talking and joking with each other. However, by the time they had made it to the trail in the forest, dusk was rolling in and Genji was asleep leaving Jesse and Smokie to converse with each other. Smokie wasn’t much for talking though so it was mostly Jesse talking to himself with the occasional whine or tail flip from Smokie… and most of his talk was about seeing Hanzo again.

Jesse had first met Hanzo when he’d come to visit Genji at Zen’s office. Jesse had been there to fix a door that had come off hinge and he was just about done when a stranger had walked into the office. Zen and Lucio were in another room speaking to a patient and Genji had been sent to run an errand for Zen, so the handyman was alone.

Jesse still remembered how Hanzo had looked with his black hair down yet partially braided, a deep green long sleeve button up, dark pants, black boots with specks of dirt and a leather bag with feathers hanging on it strapped to his thigh by a strap on his thigh and around his waist. He looked very dashing, and Jesse did not. He was kind of filthy and he felt awful standing in front of a beautiful man in a sweat stained shirt and pants filled with holes.

“Hey there.” Jesse said while slicking back his hair.

Hanzo nodded slightly. “Greetings. I am very sorry to trouble you, but I am looking for Genji Shimada.”

“Oh well, he’s out right now but you could wait here for…”

“It is alright. Just tell him that his brother stopped by and that he can find me at the store.” Hanzo then turned to leave, but Jesse quickly stepped away from the door he had been working on to catch him. 

“Hey wait a sec darlin.” He said as he grabbed Hanzo’s left wrist. 

Hanzo stopped and turned back with an expression mixed with confusion and frustration. He pulled his wrist away aggressively. “Yes?”

“Well, I ain’t seen your pretty face around before. I mean Genji’s told me a little bit about you but I just well…” Jesse then held out his right hand to Hanzo with a charming smile. “I just wanted to say hello. I’m Jesse McCree.”

Hanzo seemed to have been baffled by Jesse’s flirtatious welcome, which Jesse prided himself for, but he quickly calmed and shook Jesse’s hand. “Hanzo Shimada.”

His grip had been strong and he did not smile, but his eyes seemed warm to Jesse and ever since that moment Jesse had always liked Hanzo. Whenever he came to town he always made it a point to at least say hello to him and maybe flirt a tiny bit. He even went out with the two brothers one time and helped them buy supplies for Hanzo. However, despite his efforts, Jesse still didn’t know much about Hanzo as a person and he didn’t seem very interested in knowing more about him which made him wary about arriving at Hanzo’s home uninvited.

“I mean I am helping Genji so he probably won’t be mad. However, if he is, well, I don’t think I’d mind him directing his fury towards me. He probably looks just as hot mad, maybe more.” Jesse mused with a smile on his face as he thought of fury in Hanzo’s dark eyes.   
Smokie whines and shakes her head as though she was tired of hearing Jesse ramble. 

“Hey now, your supposed to be supportive not annoyed.” Jesse responds with an overdramatic display of offense.

Smokie just ignores him and Jesse is even more offended. “Well fine little miss, but let’s see if I ever let anyone give you anymore treats.”

Smokie whines and looks back at Jesse with a pitiful look. 

“Don’t give me that look after all your sass missy.” Jesse replies crossing his arms.

Jesse expects Smokie to keep pestering him after his threat, but she suddenly stops and her ears start twitching around in various directions. 

Jesse immediately uncrosses his arms a places a hand on his gun and starts looking around. 

“What are you seeing girl?” He asks Smokie with a worried tone.

Smokie does not respond. She just stands stiff and listens to the noises around her. 

Not good. Jesse thinks as he turns in his saddle to try and wake Genji up. “Hey Genj, I need you to get up. Something’s wrong.”

Genji ignores and continues snoring, so Jesse leans over more and slaps Genji on the top of his head. 

“Ow!” Genji yells as he wakes up and rubs the top of his head. “What’s the big…”

“Shhh.” Jesse heeds. “There’s something heading this way.”

Genji straightens up and starts looking around. He seems scared to Jesse, but Jesse can’t blame him. He was a little frightened himself. 

He jumps off of Smokie and starts walking around the edges of the trail looking carefully into the forest. For most men it would be hard to notice anyone hiding in the thick woods, especially so close to nighttime. However, Jesse’s old occupation had trained him to analyze his environment carefully and as he examines the forest he notices small movements near a tree at least 8 feet to the right. He focuses on the movement and the shape of a man in black clothes and face mask start to form… and the man seems to be aiming a bow towards them.   
Before the man could do anything Jesse aims and shoots him. He heard him fall to the ground, but as soon as the body falls Jesse notices more men dressed the same way running towards them.

“Genji stay down.” Jesse yells as he starts firing in front of him. He takes down a few of the men but three make it to the trail and they start to attack Jesse with swords. 

Jesse dodges the first initial strikes, but one of the men manages to graze his right side. He lets out a small grunt of pain but continues dodging, trying to find an opening so he can strike back, but these men are extremely fast. However, an opportunity arises when Genji jumps on one of the backs of the attackers, the force pushing him to the ground. The other two attackers are startled and glance back to see what is going on. Jesse takes this moment to punch one of the men hard in the face, knocking him out, and tackles the other to the ground. Jesse then punches the man under him a couple times until he was passes out. He then looks up to see what had happened to the other.

When he sees the attacker he is on the ground dead, and Genji stands above him with the attackers sword in his hand. Jesse stands up from the ground and examines Genji. He isn’t injured from what he can tell. As for the attacker on the ground he has been stabbed in the heart with frightening accuracy. Jesse looks at Genji with so many questions on the tip of his tongue, but before he can say anything Smokie whines and Jesse looks toward her to notice that more men are coming, and this time from all sides. 

“Genji take the left side.” Jesse yells as he quickly reloads his gun. Genji does not say anything. He just moves to the left swiftly with hate and fear in his eyes.   
Once his gun is loaded, Jesse aims and shoots down as many men as he can before they get close. However, four men manage to make it to the trail and Jesse switches from his gun to his fists. He also grabs heavy things from the wagon to throw at them. As he is fighting he hears swords clashing behind him and Smokie whining to his left, but he can’t look to see what is going on. He just has to fight. 

Through well placed punches and leg kicks Jesse manages to take care of two of the men attacking him. However, as he fights the other two he notices that another attacker is hiding next to a tree to his right aiming an arrow towards the left side of the wagon. Genji! Jesse thinks before he runs past the two men and jumps in front of the man as he releases an arrow. The arrow lands in his left bicep. The impact of the arrow hurts, but Jesse doesn’t pay it any mind as he runs up to the archer and pushes him to the ground. However, the archer manages to ensure one of his arms remains free and he uses his arm to grab an arrow and stab Jesse in his right side. Jesse yells in pain and he starts to feel dizzy. He fights through the dizziness though and uses his hands to grab the man’s throat. As he chokes him out he feels the man stab him again and again, but eventually he stops stabbing and stills. When Jesse is sure the attacker is dead he turns to see what is going on… and his heart stops.

When he turns he sees Genji on the ground with a sword to his neck. 

“Genji!” Jesse yells as he stands up and starts sprinting toward his friend, but he doesn’t get very far before he feels a blade hit his left arm and cut through.   
Jesse tumbles to the ground and feels an awful pain from his left bicep, but he had to get to Genji. Before he could even try to stand, though, one of the attackers is standing over him with a blade to his throat.

Smokie starts neighing hysterically and Genji is screaming “Leave him alone! I’m the one you want! Don’t kill him!”  
But Jesse knows no matter what Genji screams or what Smokie does he is going to die. He looks at the man above him with a sword to his throat, not with fear or hope in his eyes, but fury. 

His expression seems to piss off the guy and he swiftly lifts his blade and starts to swing toward his throat…

However, the attacker misses and falls to the ground, an arrow stuck in his head. Jesse is shocked, but he doesn’t have any time to process. Around him the other attackers are yelling in pain and falling to the ground, and each of them has an arrow in their head. The attackers look around in fear trying to pinpoint where the arrows are coming from, but as more arrows fly the less attackers there are. Eventually, only one man remains , the one holding a blade to Genji’s neck. He is looking around in a frenzy of fear and Jesse thinks Genji might try to get free. Instead his friend looks at the man with a vicious smile. He then says something to the man in Japanese, and the man removes the sword from his neck and starts running. 

He does not get far before an arrow ends his life. 

When everyone is dead Jesse breathes a sigh of relief before passing out on the ground.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Maki had warned Hanzo about what was happening on the trail that lead through the woods. She had come to his home scratching at the door and hollowing, and when Hanzo had walked outside he heard gunfire. So he grabbed his bow and quiver of arrows and ran into the woods towards the commotion. 

When he finds the source of the noise his eyes widened in fear as he saw his brother on the ground with a sword to his neck and black clothed assassins around him and a wagon and horse. He hears his brother pleading with the assassins to not kill someone, but Hanzo could not see what he meant. So he quickly climbs a nearby tree and sees an assassin holding his sword to a man’s neck. The man has brown hair and a beard. McCree. 

Hanzo knows that he will die if he doesn’t do something. So he knocks an arrow and aims it at the assassin’s head and just as he lifts his sword he releases it killing the attacker instantly. The archer then uses his arrows to take out the other assassins and uses the trees to get different angles. Once he is sure all the men, besides the one with a blade at Genji’s throat, are dead he waits for his brother to get the man off him.

He watches intently as his brother smirks menacingly at the assassin and says “It seems that my brother is not very happy with what you have done. Perhaps, if you let me go, he will let you live.”

The assassin then takes the blade off of Genji’s throat and starts running. Hanzo could have let him flee, but he is so full of hate for what the attacker had done to his brother that he knocks an arrow and lets it fly in one fluid motion. The assassin falls before he even gets 2 feet away. 

Hanzo lets out an angry huff of air before examining the area to ensure there were no more assassins. He then climbs down the tree he was in and runs over to where Genji is, sitting in front of his friend. Genji is examining his wounds to see what is wrong.

“What injuries has he sustained?” Hanzo asks.

“It looks like he was stabbed with one of their arrows in the side, and he has…” Genji pauses and takes a ragged breathe. “He has an arrow stuck in his…”

Genji doesn’t finish what he is saying and starts crying. So, Hanzo moves closer to examine McCree’s body and his eyes widen at what he sees. McCree’s left arm is gone, probably sliced off by one of the assassin’s blades, and an arrow is stuck in his upper bicep. Blood is gushing from the huge wound and if he doesn’t do something soon McCree will bleed out. However, he can’t close the wounds yet. So, he runs over to one of the dead bodies and tears off enough of their clothing to tie up the wound and keep it from bleeding out. He then looks to Genji and places a hand on his shoulder. 

“That should keep him from bleeding out, but knowing the clan they probably instructed the assassins to place poison on their arrows. Which means…”

“No!” Genji yells with tears streaming down his eyes. “Brother, you can’t use your magic to heal him. The curse will spread more and you’ll lose more of your life.”

“But if I don’t he will die.”

Genji’s eyes widen in fear. He then looks at his dying friend. “He can’t die… but I don’t want you to…”

“Genji,” Hanzo interrupts, squeezing his brothers shoulder. “ I will be alright. Besides, I have about 10 years. Healing McCree will only take a few months off. I’ll still have about 9 and a half.” 

Hanzo lies. He can’t let Genji know that his lifespan is a lot shorter than what he told him. Otherwise, he would feel even guiltier about the attack and would have to choose between Hanzo and McCree. Hanzo making the choice on his own would keep Genji from worrying and hurting.

Looking at Genji’s expression, Hanzo knows that his brother doesn’t want him to go through with it, but he also knows Jesse will die if Hanzo does nothing. So, reluctantly, Genji agrees with Hanzo. “Alright, but take care of him okay.”

“I will. I will take him back to my home and cure the poison, but I need you to go to town and get Zenyatta.”

“Zenyatta?”

“Yes. He needs to examine the wounds and his arm so we know the extent of the damage. I can handle cleaning them and bandaging him up after the poison is out of his system. Now, are you hurt?”

Genji looks over himself quickly. “I just have some minor cuts and bruises.”

“Good.” Hanzo then looks to the horse. The mare is staring at the two brothers and seems to have a worried look in her eyes. Hanzo feels bad for her, but he has to stay focused. He examines her body and doesn’t see any cuts or other injuries. “She looks unharmed.”

Genji looks to where his brother is talking about and slightly smiles. “That’s good. Jesse would be really upset if anything happened to her.”

“Do you think she will allow you to ride her to town?”

“Yeah. Smokie and I are good friends, and she probably wants to help Jesse just as much as we do.” Genji then looks to his friend again. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

Hanzo’s expression becomes dead serious at his brother’s question. “I will not lie to you. He may never be the same again, but I promise you I will make sure he is okay.”

Hanzo’s promise seems to make Genji feel better, which makes Hanzo feel some relief, but they have to stay focused if McCree is to survive. “Now, take the mare and head to town quickly.”

“Okay.” Genji wipes the tears off his face and hugs Hanzo. “Be safe and don’t hurt yourself.”

Genji then stands up and unhooks Smokie from the wagon. He then gets up on the saddle and speaks to her letting her know what is going on. Smokie seems to understand and walks over to where Hanzo and Jesse are. She is looking at Hanzo with a pleading look in her eyes.   
Hanzo looks at her with a small smile. “Do not worry. I will take care of him. You take care of my brother and get him to town safely.”  
Smokie nods. She then turns toward the direction of town and waits for Genji to signal her. Genji looks to Hanzo and nods his head. Hanzo nods back, then Genji tells Smokie to get going and she starts running to town. 

Once they are gone Hanzo looks at McCree and sighs. He then whistles and no sooner than he produces the sound Maki appears. She walks over to Hanzo and looks at McCree. She then looks up at her savior worried. 

Hanzo pets her head. “He’ll be okay. I just need you to help me get him home okay.”

Maki nods. Hanzo then gives Maki his bow to carry in her mouth and he places his quiver around her back. He then crouches down and picks up McCree in his arms. 

He is a bit heavy, but Hanzo can handle his weight to at least get him to his house. Once he has a firm hold of McCree, Hanzo stands up and then him and Maki swiftly make their way to Hanzo’s home.   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
When he finally gets to his house, Hanzo takes McCree into his guest room/alchemy room. He doesn’t have many people over to his home so he mostly uses the guest room to make the elixirs he sells in town, but he still keeps a small bed in there for when Genji shows up or for injured animals who need his help. He places McCree on the bed then stretches his arms. After that he gets to work.

First, he has Maki give him his bow and quiver so he could place it in his room. After that he tells Maki to stay outside and wait until he is done. She woofs and tries to stay inside, but Hanzo pushes her out. He hates to be mean to her, but he doesn’t want her to see what is about to happen to him. He makes a mental note to apologize to her later.

Once Maki is gone Hanzo walks into the alchemy room and shuts the door. He then walks over to McCree and stares at the arrow in his bicep and the empty space where his arm used to be. He takes a deep breath. It has been a long time since he has dealt with human injuries, and usually they are his own, but he can handle it… he has to. 

He has only been around McCree a few times, and even though he can be a bit much with his flirting, he is a good person. He has seen people smile just because he is in a room and Genji tells him he always helps people if he can, regardless of pay. He even offered to help Hanzo take supplies to his home once just because he wanted to help. Hanzo had refused, but that didn’t stop the scruffy man from smiling and walking with him part of the way to his home. He is a good man, and he does not deserve to die because of the clan. They are not taking any more people from him and his brother.   
Therefore, he has to do his best to heal Jesse McCree and that means taking the arrow out of his bicep, forcing the poison out of his system, and closing the gaping wound where his left arm used to be. 

Before taking out the arrow, Hanzo grabs a few potions from his shelves and some bandages. One is bright red and helps give people strength. The other is bright blue and helps people sleep, and the last one is alcohol for disinfecting McCree’s wounds. Hanzo drinks the red one to give him the strength to take the poison out of McCree. The bright blue one he injects into McCree with a needle so that he will stay asleep through all of this. 

After ensuring that McCree is breathing easy and is out cold, the archer stands over the injured man’s bicep and takes a deep breath. He then quickly pulls the arrow out and places it on an empty shelf nearby. It starts to bleed, but he can’t wrap it or any of the other wounds up until he gets the poison out. So, he doesn’t waste any time. 

Quickly, he unbuttons the unconscious man’s shirt making sure the cloth is not on his wounds. He then rolls up his sleeves and places both hands on the man’s chest. Hanzo then closes his eyes and takes a very deep breath. When he opens his eyes they are glowing indigo and his scars begin to glow as well. He is muttering in   
Japanese and as he speaks the poison in McCree’s system begins to ooze out of his body and disappear. It takes an hour for all of the poison to leave McCree’s system and longer to close up the wound, but once everything is done Hanzo closes his eyes. When he opens them again they are back to normal, and his scars have stopped glowing. 

Hanzo is shaking and his right leg and left arm are in pain. So much for the potion. Hanzo thinks as he ignores his pain as best he can and starts to clean McCree’s wounds. 

He starts with the giant one on his left bicep where his arm used to be. He has closed it up almost completely with his magic, but he still wants to clean it up. So, he grabs the alcohol and cleans it off, then grabs a green ointment from his shelves and covers the wound with it so it would heal faster. Hanzo then does this with the wounds on McCree’s upper bicep and right side. Once finished bandaging McCree up, Hanzo sits down on a chair in the room. His leg and arm are still hurting and he is still shaking, but McCree seems better and that’s all that matters. Now he just has to wait on Zenyatta and Genji to see if McCree will be okay. Hopefully, his pain will subside by then. His shaking is already starting to wear off. Maybe the potion wasn’t as useless as Hanzo had thought.

Since his shaking is almost gone and McCree seems to be in a stable condition, Hanzo decides to go to his bathroom and check his scars and change clothes. The one’s currently on his body are now covered in blood from when Hanzo carried McCree here and he doesn’t want Genji to see his friends blood on his clothes. He fears the sight might cause his brother worry. It might also cause McCree to worry as well considering the blood is his own… not that Hanzo had any concern for the handyman’s worries. So, the archer goes to his room and grabs some clothes then goes to his bath to change and examine his scars.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Zenyatta and Genji arrive shortly after Hanzo changes clothes. The two of them enter hastily wanting to see how McCree is doing. However, they both calm down as Zenyatta looks over McCree’s wounds and the job Hanzo has done. Once he is finished examining the handyman he ushers the Shimada brothers out of the room and speaks to the two of them in Hanzo’s living room. 

“It looks like McCree will make a full recovery, but it will take him several weeks to gain his strength back, and only time will tell how he’ll cope without his left arm.” 

“Are you sure he’ll be okay?” Genji asks.

“Physically I think he will be fine, but mentally we will have to see. However, I’ve always known Jesse to have a strong mind so I believe he will be fine.”

Zenyatta walks over and squeezes Genji’s shoulder reassuringly. Hanzo has seen his brother distraught only a few times in their lives, and each time he hated to see him that way. He wishes he could have prevented the attack or had at least arrived sooner so that McCree would be unharmed, but everything is out of his hands now. He has done all he can do for McCree and thankfully he will recover, but as for his mental health who knows, and Genji’s mental health will probably be affected as well. Why couldn’t I have been there sooner. 

“Hanzo, are you feeling well?” 

Hanzo hadn’t realized he was spacing out until Zenyatta touches his shoulder. He looks up at the man and nods. “Yes. I’m fine.”

“Good.” Zenyatta says, although his expression makes it seem as though he knew that Hanzo was not alright. “Anyway, if you would not mind I would like to speak with you privately.”

Hanzo looks to Genji to make sure he will be okay if he leaves for a moment. As if he knew his brother was worried about him, Genji smiles reassuringly at him and nods. “I’ll be okay, brother. I promise.”

The older Shimada does not believe him, but he will not be gone long. So, he stands up and leads Zenyatta outside where they can be alone.  
They stand close to a window where they can keep an eye on Genji. 

“He hasn’t told me much about what happened to him and McCree, but that is to be expected after going through a distressing situation such as he did.”

“I would consider what they went through a bit more than distressing.” Hanzo responds.

Zenyatta hums in agreement. He then looks up at the sky. “I’m very worried for both of them. Although, Genji is staying fairly calm despite what he’s been through. It makes me wonder…”

Zenyatta stops speaking, leaving his thought in the air. It causes Hanzo to worry but he leaves it hanging. The less questions there are the better. However…  
“So, where did you learn to fix wounds?” 

The archer freezes at the question, but mellows quickly with a half-lie in mind. “I learned from my mother.”

His mother had been a healer before she was forced to marry his father. After that the clan forced his mother to use her healing knowledge and the curse’s power to make uncurable poisons, and perform many other gruesome tasks until she was killed. His father and many of his ancestors also died thanks to the clan, but him and   
Genji had managed to escape the clan and the curse no longer held Genji in its grasp. 

“I see. Is she also the one who taught you to make the elixirs you sell in town?” 

“Some of them yes. Others I have learned to make from books.” 

“Very impressive. I would say your mother would be very proud considering how well you have helped McCree.” Zenyatta sighs before continuing. “To be honest, I do not know if I would have been able to save him. Perhaps maybe you should start working in town? I could provide you a spot at my…”

“Thank you for your offer, but I must decline.” Hanzo replies. “Besides, I am sure Genji has told you that I’m not a very good people person.”

“He has, but I’m afraid I may have to ask you to step out of your comfort zone.”

Hanzo looks at Zenyatta with raised eyebrows. “What exactly do you mean?”

Zenyatta turns to face Hanzo directly. “I hate to ask this of you, but McCree is too weak for travel and some time away from town will be good for his recovery.”  
“You wish for me to take care of him?”

Zenyatta nods. “I know it is a lot to ask, but I promise to come check his recovery in a couple weeks, and if you need assistance I can send Lucio or Genji to help.” 

“That, won’t be necessary. I am capable of taking care of McCree on my own.”

"So, you will do it then?”

Hanzo looks to the ground in thought. Taking care of animals is one thing, but taking care of a person would be challenging. Granted animals can be very dangerous, but humans are even more dangerous in Hanzo’s opinion. However, from what Genji has told him, and Hanzo has seen, McCree isn’t dangerous unless highly provoked, but losing an arm can be very danger provoking. 

As he thinks, Hanzo’s gaze moves to the window. Inside the house, Genji is sitting next to the door to the guest room. He looks sad and guilty, guilty for something that wasn’t even his fault. 

Genji cares about this man. He has told Hanzo stories of their drunken adventures and how McCree is helping him try to ask out a person he likes; how he has always been there with a drink and kind words when Genji was sad. He is his brother’s best friend and he has always been good to his brother and himself, and now it is time for him to pay him back.

“Yes,” Hanzo states as he turns to face Zenyatta. “I will take care of him.”

Zenyatta smiles. “Excellent. Thank you.”

And with that, Hanzo Shimada is stuck being a healer for Jesse McCree.


	3. Chapter 3

Two days have passed since the attack, but Jesse does not know this as he slowly opens his eyes. The first thing he notices is that the ceiling is different from his. He then notices that the feel of the sheets underneath him is strange and the smells in the room are very unfamiliar. He is not home, and this causes him to worry. So, he raises up to see where he is, but when he does he feels a sharp pain from his right side that causes him to yelp. What the hell?

He looks at his right side to see what is going on and finds a bandage wrapped around his side and the rest of his torso. What happened to…   
The memories of the attack start to rush back into Jesse's mind. The men in strange, black outfits, their swords cutting his side and the arrow being stabbed to his side, and his left arm…

Jesse freezes. He doesn't want the memory to be there. He doesn't want to it to be true, but when he tries to move his left arm he doesn't feel anything.   
He doesn't want to look, but he can't ignore it forever. So, slowly, he turns his head towards the left side of his body, but what he hopes to see is not there. Instead, he finds his upper arm covered in bandage wrap up to his shoulder. At the end of the upper arm is nothing. His left elbow, forearm, and hand are gone.   
He thinks he might scream or cry, but instead, he just sits there with his eyes wide and mouth open in shock. He reaches his right arm over to what is left to affirm what he is seeing is real. Once he knows it is real he inhales sharply and tears start to well in his eyes. 

He is a mixture of mad and devastated. He is mostly mad at himself for letting this happen. For letting his guard down and not ensuring him and Genji were safe… Genji!

Jesse panics as he tries to remember where Genji is and if he and Smokie are safe, but the last thing he can remember is hearing him yell out his name in fear. He has to find them and make sure they are alright. He can worry about his arm and other injuries later. So, the handyman carefully turns himself toward the right side of the bed and plants his feet firmly on the ground. He then proceeds to stand up and he starts heading toward the door a few feet from the bed. However, he only makes it a couple of steps before the door opens and Hanzo Shimada stands in the doorway.

His eyes are wide in shock, probably from Jesse getting up, but his surprise is quickly replaced with a stern, yet concerned, expression. "McCree, sit down."

"But…"

"I know you have a lot of questions and I will answer them, but you must sit down."

Jesse relents and does as Hanzo asks. Once he is seated Hanzo walks over to the bed and does a quick once-over of his wounds. "It appears you have not caused any of your wounds to bleed again, but they probably do need to be redressed. Give me a moment."

Jesse watches Hanzo carefully as he walks over to the shelves at the left side of the room. On most of the shelves, there are numerous bottles of all shapes and sizes, each with a colored mixture. However, two shelves are devoid of bottles, and instead hold books and a small roll of bandage wrap. Hanzo walks over to the shelves and grabs the bandage wrap along with a green looking mixture. He then heads back over to Jesse. "Now, turn to face me."

Jesse does as the dark-haired man asks and turns his body to face him with his legs hanging off the foot of the bed. Hanzo then starts to unwrap the old dressings on Jesse's upper left arm. Jesse tenses as he begins to unwrap the dressing, remembering that his arm is gone. 

As if sensing his uneasiness Hanzo stops and looks at him with thoughtfulness. "I am very sorry about your arm. I will fix the dressing quickly so you do not feel uncomfortable for very long."

Hanzo then tries to go on with his work, but before he can Jesse grabs Hanzo's left hand to stop him. "Why?"

Hanzo looks at him with a puzzled expression. "Why am I redressing your wounds?"

"No, why am I here? Where's Genji and Smokie? Are they okay? And who were those guys? And just what the hell is going on!" 

Jesse is mad and upset, but mostly he is scared. He has no idea why he is here or where his best friends are and even if they are okay. The only thing in this whole situation that makes Jesse feel a small sense of ease is Hanzo. He is something familiar at least and shows concern for how he is doing, but despite this he really needs answers. 

Thankfully, Hanzo is willing to give them to him. "Genji is fine. Your horse is fine as well. Genji is taking care of her while you stay here and recover."

One of Jesse's eyebrows raises in puzzlement. "Recover here?" 

"Yes," Hanzo replies with a slight nod. "After Genji went to town and grabbed Dr. Zenyatta, he came here and examined your wounds and believed them to be too severe to move you back to town. So, he suggested you stay here until you recover from your injuries. He will return in a couple weeks to see how well your wounds are healing."

"So, Zen's already been here? How long have I been out?"

"Two days."

Jesse has always been one to sleep a lot, but two days seems like a lot. "Man, those drugs the Doc must of used to knock me out must be some powerful stuff."

"Zenyatta did not use his medicines to help you." Hanzo states as he goes back to redressing Jesse's upper arm. Jesse doesn't pay it no mind at this point, the conversation allowing him to relax enough and not focus on his arm. 

"So then, what medicines did he use?"

"He didn't. I did."

Jesse is surprised by this, but Hanzo seems too concerned with redressing Jesse's arm to notice his expression. "You did?"

Hanzo inhales sharply, seeming annoyed with having to repeat himself. "Yes. I did."

Jesse stays quiet for a moment, processing. He remembers someone saving him and Genji before he passed out, and Hanzo's home is probably a lot closer to where the attack occurred than anywhere else. So, it makes sense that Jesse would end up here and considering he wouldn't live long with his injuries and riding to town and back would have taken Genji at least 3 hours there is only one way Jesse could figure he had survived. "You saved my life."

Hanzo pauses but does not look away from Jesse's arm. He seems nervous to the handyman, but before he can say anything Hanzo speaks. "I suppose I did."

Jesse chuckles. "Suppose is an understatement. There's no way Zen could've gotten here fast enough and Genji was the one sent to get him. So, you would've been the only one here to patch me up."

Hanzo sighs. "Your perceptions are correct, but it is not that big of a deal."

"Well, it may not be to you, but it is to me." Jesse then smiles sincerely at the man dressing his wounds and places a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Hanzo."

Hanzo looks at Jesse, and the handyman thinks he sees him blush a bit, but before he can confirm the other man looks away and goes back to redressing his arm. "As I said it was no big deal. I just…" Hanzo pauses and stares at Jesse's upper arm guiltily. "I am sorry I could not save your arm."

Jesse looks at what is left of his arm and sighs deeply. "I'll be alright. I just have to get used to it."

Hanzo hums in reply then goes back to work. The two stay quiet after that as Hanzo redresses Jesse's arm and upper torso. As Hanzo works Jesse tries to use the time to examine the room, but he finds his gaze returning to Hanzo. He seems to look older than what Jesse remembers. Granted it has been about 3 months since anyone has seen him and people change over time, but not this much. His lovely black hair is more silvery with mixed strands of gray and white, and he seems to have more bags under his eyes. He looks tired, and Jesse wonders what has happened in the last few months to cause him to look so different. 

He wants to ask, to make sure Hanzo is okay, but he isn't sure what to say. He isn't exactly close to the man. They have hung out a few times but most of those times Genji had been there as a familiar link to connect the two so Jesse hasn't really gotten to know Hanzo on his own. So, he really isn't sure how to interact with the man.   
However, if he is going to be cooped up here for a few weeks he is going to change that and try to get to know Hanzo on his own terms. 

"So, how long have you been patching people up?" Jesse asks deciding to start with a relevant topic to what Hanzo is doing to start to get to know him. 

"I do not usually patch people up." Hanzo replies as he finishes placing a green ointment on the wounds on Jesse's right side. 

"You sure, cause you seem to know what you're doing."

Hanzo shrugs. "I have not had to deal with humans very much, but humans are just another animal so I can manage."

Jesse is confused. "What do you mean by just another animal?"

Hanzo looks up at Jesse's face as if he is trying to see if he can trust him. Jesse just stares back, a little confused, but always happy to gaze upon those beautiful, obsidian eyes. After a few moments of this Hanzo exhales through his nose and goes back to work. "I tend to injured animals in the woods. Now raise your right arm so I can wrap a bandage around your torso."

"Wait you…"

"Put your arm up, McCree." Hanzo snaps. 

Jesse does as he is asked, slightly annoyed that he couldn't finish his thought, but understands. That green ointment will probably start to slide off his body if Hanzo doesn't wrap it up, and he probably wants to make sure his wounds don't get infected. So, the handyman waits patiently until Hanzo is finished to continue conversing with him. 

"So, why do you do it?" 

"Help the animals in the woods?" Hanzo asks as he puts away the bandages and ointment.

"Yeah. A lot of people would be too scared to do that or think animals or more for eating than saving. So, why do you help them?" Jesse is asking more out of curiosity than anything else. He really likes animals and isn't much for hunting them, but helping them can get you bit or worse. 

Hanzo turns to face Jesse. "I help them because they help me."

Jesse's eyebrow quirks. "What do you mean?" 

Hanzo tilts his head in thought and leans on one of the shelves with books in it. "Well, in an overall sense, animals help to keep the environment healthy which in turn helps me survive, but in a smaller sense animals have been more helpful to me than any person has. So, I help them."

"Alright. I can understand that." Jesse then smiles thinking about Smokie. "Honestly, my horse is sometimes more helpful than some people I've met, but not all people are bad you know."

Hanzo shrugs. "Perhaps, but I digress." Hanzo’s eyes then fixate on Jesse's face. 

"What? Do I have something on…"

"You have blood on your chin. Give me a moment." Hanzo walks over to a shelf and grabs a cotton ball out of a jar filled with them. He then browses his shelves and finds a bottle with a clear mixture in it that Jesse assumes to be alcohol. Hanzo then dips the cotton ball into the bottle then places the bottle back on the shelf and walks over and bends down in front of Jesse. He looks up at him and starts to clean up Jesse's chin with gentle dabs. Jesse smiles at this and chuckles. 

Hanzo pauses. "What are you laughing at?"

"It's just," Jesse states as he grins at the man in front of him. "for someone who deals with animals and lives out in the woods your very…"

Jesse was going to say gentle, but he keeps looking at Hanzo and his eyes soften. In all the time he's known this strange man he has never gotten to see him in an environment where he is comfortable. He always seems to be nervous and tense in town, and Jesse wouldn't call the man in front of him completely relaxed, but he seems more confident and that just makes him seem so… "Beautiful."

Hanzo instantly blushes, and Jesse thinks he sees a smile creep onto the man's face which makes him smile more and even blush a bit himself. In that moment something just seems to click between the two, but the moment is ended by Hanzo who forces his smile away and stands up. 

"Well, I should make you something to eat. It has been a couple days since you have had any sustenance. I will return with some soup, and then you should rest." He then leaves before Jesse can say a word.

Jesse sighs, sad to have lost the moment, but happy that it had happened. However, now that he is alone without someone to speak with and distract him he starts to concentrate more on his left arm. He looks at it and wonders what he is going to do. Without it, he can’t work as well and he definitely doesn't have the money to ask Torb for anything. God, what will I do?

He decides it is best to just focus on getting better, but he knows that will be a challenge. In his old line of work, he had seen a lot of men lose their limbs and it was never pretty, but they managed to get better with time, and so would he. Besides, he is in good hands with Hanzo… at least he is pretty sure he is. 

So, while Hanzo is away Jesse tries to relax and not worry too much about his arm and other injuries.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Two weeks pass by quicker than Jesse figured it would, but he thinks for Hanzo it hasn't passed quick enough. The two have had arguments and since the staring incident Hanzo acts annoyed by Jesse's compliments and flirtatious attempts, but Jesse knows he's not too annoyed considering his blushing. However, his stay at the older Shimada's home hasn't all been enjoyable. 

He's had nightmares about the attack and immense phantom pains due to his arm being gone, and some days he's just felt like death should come and take him now, but somehow his phantom pains seemed to disappear when Hanzo massages his arm, and when he has nightmares they end quickly, as if someone has touched his head and forced them away. One night he thought he saw Hanzo standing above him with glowing, indigo eyes, but he was very sleepy so he just passed it off as part of a dream. However, what wasn't a dream was the fact that Hanzo's hair was becoming ever lighter in color and he seemed to be becoming more tired. 

Jesse wondered what was going on and tried to ask once, but Hanzo dismissed his questions and always told him that he was in worse shape than him. Jesse wasn't sure if that was true, though. He hoped that maybe the doc could help put his worries about Hanzo to rest. Before the doc arrived, though, Hanzo was going to make sure Jesse's wounds were dressed well. 

"Ow." Jesse yelped as Hanzo finished tightening the new bandaging around his arm. "Do you have to be so harsh."

"I need to make sure it is tight so it does not fall off. Sorry, if that bothers you." Hanzo stated sternly.

Jesse sighed. Hanzo was a pain in the ass sometimes, but for some strange reason, it added to his charm. "Whatever you say, sweetheart."

"Stop that. I told you not to use your ridiculous names."

"You've told me that a lot, but that won't stop me dar…"

"If you say, darling, I swear I will sew your mouth shut," Hanzo stated pointing his finger menacingly at Jesse. 

The handyman laughed, but he stopped when he noticed something on Hanzo's wrist. It was a purple-ish mark, kind of like a scar, but different. "What's wrong with your wrist?"

Hanzo froze, and for a moment he looked terrified, but as he always does he brushed away his emotions and took upon a calm exterior. "It is nothing. Just an injury from my past." 

Hanzo then stood up and pulled his left sleeve down defensively. 

Jesse opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything there was a knock at the door.

"Ah," Hanzo said, sounding relieved. "it seems Dr. Zenyatta is here." 

The healer then left quickly before Jesse could even move to stop him. 

He had never seen Hanzo so scared and he felt awful for making him feel that way, but he was also apprehensive. Hanzo was hiding something and he wasn't sure what, but he wanted to know, especially since it was something that scared him so much.   
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
A couple of days later McCree is finally walking around. After Dr. Zenyatta examined him he told Hanzo and McCree that the handyman's wounds were healing extremely well. In fact, he would probably be ready to head home in under a week, but he wanted McCree to stay for a few more weeks just to be sure. 

He mostly wanted him to stay longer so that he could mentally recuperate without the prying eyes of the town and he told this to Hanzo privately away from McCree.

"He seems to be doing fine, but I fear that going to town too soon might be bad for him mentally."

"Why do you believe that?" Hanzo asked.

Zenyatta sighed. "He fixes many things in town. That is his job as a handyman and he enjoys his work, but now that his arm is gone…"

Hanzo interrupts concernedly. "He cannot fix things anymore… and you believe he will feel sad because of it."

Zenyatta nods. "Yes, but mostly because he may feel he is disappointing the people in town."

"I can understand not wanting to feel…weak around people you care for, but why care about the rest of town?"

Zenyatta takes a deep breath. He never usually shows emotions, but right now he seemed nervous. "McCree has had a hard past and it is not for me to discuss, but I will say he is trying to redeem himself and his way of doing that is by helping the people in town."

Hanzo hums in understanding. He understood wanting to redeem oneself. When he and Genji were prisoners of the clan they were forced to commit horrible acts against many people and animals, and now both of them were trying to redeem themselves in their own ways. Despite his understanding, though, he still wanted to know why McCree felt he needed to redeem himself and for the past couple of days, he has tried to figure this out.

Maybe he was an actual cowboy for a while. Hanzo thought as he watched McCree place eggs on his plate for breakfast. Or maybe he was a murderer. Hanzo smiled. He did not think the man someone to kill unless to protect himself and others, at least that's what his actions during the attack told him, but you can never be sure about anyone. 

"You see something you like?" McCree asked as he turned around and walked over to the table to join Hanzo. 

Hanzo looked down and concentrated a lot on his food. "I apologize. I did not mean to stare."

McCree chuckled as he sat down. "You're fine darling. Anyway, thank you kindly for the breakfast. These eggs like nice."

"I am sorry I do not have much. A lot of the supplies you and Genji got me were damaged during the attack so I am making do with what was not damaged."

McCree scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. I'm really sorry about that."

"Do not apologize for something that is not your fault." Hanzo stated sternly. "I would rather you and Genji safe and alive than have a house full of supplies." 

McCree looked up at Hanzo and smiled, but didn't say anything. He just looked at Hanzo with that bright grin that was complimented by a bit of egg in his mustache. He looked ridiculous, but it was somehow endearing and sort of… cute. 

Hanzo swatted the thought away as quickly as it came and just ignored McCree's stupid grin. He finished his eggs quickly and got up to wash his plate, but as he did he heard a knock at the door. He looked to the door puzzled. 

McCree looked just as confused. "Are we expecting anybody today?"

"Zenyatta mentioned the sheriff might be by with a few questions, but I did not expect her so soon." 

Before going to the door Hanzo checked the window in the kitchen to see who was there and he was surprised by who he saw. The sheriff was there, but Genji and Lucio were also with them with bags of supplies. "Shit."

"What?" Jesse asked as he got up from the table and walked to the window. He smiled when he saw his friends outside, but Hanzo could see a slight nervousness in his expression and it reminded Hanzo of what Zenyatta had said. So, before letting anyone in he grabbed McCree by the shoulder and looked at him. He then did something he did not do very much, he let his guard down. "I know you are nervous about this."

"I'm not…"

"Do not lie to me. I know you are."

McCree looked like he wanted to try and argue again, but he eventually deflated and smiled wearily. "I am a little worried. I mean they might treat me different or look at me weird and I just…"

Hanzo placed both his hands on the handyman's shoulders and stared into his eyes. "If you would like them to go I will ask them to leave and if you would like them to stay I will welcome them into my home, but overall the decision is up to you. Just know you will not be alone. I am also nervous, but you must remember that these are your friends and they will never treat you differently. I haven't and I know that they won't."

Hanzo then let go of McCree's shoulders and stepped away, but kept their eyes locked. "Now then, what do you say."

McCree took a deep breath then smiled more confidently. "Let's not keep'em waiting." 

And with that Hanzo went to the door and welcomed Sheriff Amari, Genji and Lucio inside.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Conversation was awkward at first and mostly business based. Lucio and Genji checked out McCree's condition while Hanzo spoke with Sheriff Amari about the attack. He was nervous to speak with her considering his actions during the attack, but she seemed understanding of his actions. Granted he didn't tell her everything, especially killing the assassin that ran after Genji's threat. He knew his brother would not want his friends to think of him as what they used to be. The two brothers had tried their best to move on from their past lives and this attack was not going to ruin that for them, but he knew the versions of themselves they presented would now be different in the eyes of people who had heard of the attack, and the man who was forced to be a part of it because he was trying to help Genji would definitely change his perspective on them. 

He could already see something different between how McCree and Genji interacted with each other. He had hung around them a few times, most times against his will, and every time they shared jokes and laughed and connected very well… but this time they were both more reserved around each other; Genji because of his guilt and McCree because of what he's seen. 

Hanzo wanted to help, but he was not very good in the social skills department. In fact, he was sort of in a panic right now as everyone sat around talking and he just sat quietly. They spoke about how McCree was doing, when he would return to town, and how town was sufficing without him. The conversation revolved around him and Hanzo was okay with that, but he didn't feel comfortable with being around a conversation between people he did not know or trust. He kind of knew Lucio from what Genji has told him about him and his visits to Zenyatta's office, but he did not feel comfortable around him. As for Sheriff Amari, he had not had to speak with her before now, but Genji had hung around her before and trusted both her and her mother so Hanzo was fine around her, but he stayed wary of her.   
Overall, he hated the whole situation, but as the conversation shifted away from awkwardness and business the others seemed to be happier. Especially McCree. 

"I can't see Mr. Lavender ever cleaning a gutter." McCree said with a chuckle as Lucio and Genji told him a funny story about a rich man.

"Yeah, me neither, but he attempted it and it didn't end over so well." Lucio giggled. 

Jesse raised an eyebrow at that. "What happened?"

"Well," Genji stated as he continued the story. "I was heading back to the office with some lunch and I saw him trying to clean it out and…" Genji and Lucio then started to laugh. ", the gutter fell and poured sludge all over him and he looked so disgusted, and I was in tears laughing."

McCree started to laugh with his two friends, and Hanzo slightly smiled at the thought of that rich hardass covered in sludge. 

"You seem to be enjoying the subject of conversation."

Hanzo's smile disappeared and he quickly became defensive when he realized the sheriff was speaking to him. 

She laughed slightly. "Don't be so scared. I don't bite, at least not when I'm off the clock." She then held out her hand to him. "I know we already met officially, but not unofficially. I'm Fareeha." 

Hanzo looked at her hand hesitantly, but he didn't want to seem weak or rude. So, he gripped her hand firmly. "Hanzo."

"Nice to meet you Hanzo, and very nice grip." Fareeha stated as she squeezed his hand with equal firmness. 

Hanzo smiled slightly. "You as well."

"So, how does a guy like you end up in the woods and not in town with his brother?" 

"How does a woman like you end up becoming the sheriff of this small town?" 

Fareeha smirked. "A question for a question?"

Hanzo crossed his arms. "I feel that is fair considering you questioned me a lot earlier." 

"Well," Fareeha took a sip from a cup of water she got earlier. "Mother and I moved here a long time ago and the old guy who was sheriff wasn't a very nice man. He was rude and racist and I couldn't stand him."

"Yes. I remember him, he was very mean to Genji and me when we moved here." Hanzo stated, remembering the slurs he used to call him and his brother. Another example of why he doesn't like people.

"Yeah. Well, when I got old enough I challenged him for the position in a very harsh election."  
Hanzo raised his eyebrows at that. "Harsh?"

"Oh right. You were already living here when it happened." Fareeha then sat back with a proud smile. "The guy punched Lucio one night while we were out drinking and I fought back. Slugged him real good in the jaw. I fought it'd be a bad image, but the next day the sheriff moved away and everyone in town asked me to be sheriff."

Fareeha sighed at this point and she smiled gently in reflection. Hanzo had heard her story before from other people, specifically Genji, but hearing the story from her allowed Hanzo to get a sense about her as a person and from what he could tell she really cared about the people in town. 

"You know." Fareeha continued. "It means a lot to know they trust me. Even Jess. When he moved to town he trusted me pretty quickly. It took me giving him a drink and talking a bit, but he trusted me and I would like it if you could learn to…"

"Trust you as well?" Hanzo replied.

Fareeha shrugged. "Yeah, but I know something like that takes time, but Hanzo I would like you to trust me."

Hanzo sighed heavily. "As you said trust takes time." He then stood up and walked away.

Fareeha was a nice person and his intentions seemed well placed, but Hanzo just couldn't let himself get connected to anyone. Even having a friend wouldn't end well, especially with the curse spreading. So, he walked away and went outside to keep himself from connecting anymore. 

However, he didn't succeed very well because outside he found someone else who wanted to connect.

As soon as he stepped outside he heard two horses neighing. One he recognized as the sheriff's and the other he recognized from the attack. McCree's horse. 

"Well, hello there." Hanzo stated as he walked over to them. He tried to pet Fareeha's horse but she was skittish and backed away from Hanzo.   
He smiled at the buttercup mare. "It's alright. I won't hurt you."

She resisted, but the other mare didn't. She walked up to Hanzo and nuzzled his chest. He smiled. "Did Genji tell you what I did?"

She nodded as if she understood then lifted her head and licked Hanzo's face.

It was slobbery and it messed up his hair, but he smiled at her. "You don't have to thank me."

He then petted her mane gently. "You are very beautiful."

She huffed in response and looked away. 

"Now, don't be bashful." Hanzo stated as he touched her face. "You are beautiful. You should be proud of that."

She whined and then nibbled affectionately at Hanzo's left hand. She then paused when she noticed Hanzo's wound. He looked at his wrist and pulled it away. Then he pulled his sleeve down to cover his scar. 

The horse huffed and looked at Hanzo worriedly. He smiled back at her. "It's alright. I just…" 

Hanzo then sighed and thought. Telling her wouldn't hurt. Besides talking about it might help. 

"I am dying and this is killing me, but it will be okay because…" I know that they will all be okay." Hanzo feels tears building in his eyes, but he holds them back "Because I know that the people I care for will be okay."

He then smiled wearily at the horse. "Please don't let anyone know okay, not even your master."

The mare huffed and shook her head. 

"Please. I will tell them in time. Just give me that time okay?"

She took a moment and focused on Hanzo. Animals are good at judgments, at least that is what Hanzo had experienced out here in the woods, and this was no exception. She was judging him and that was fine. He just hoped her judgement wasn't harsh. 

She stared at him for a long time but stopped when she heard someone coming. Hanzo stiffened but calmed figuring Genji had come to check on him. "I am not going back inside. Just go enjoy yourself and be with your boyfriend."

"Well, my boyfriend's not in there."

Hanzo froze and internally screamed. God, why him. He turns around with his arms crossed and a stern look on his face. "Why are you out here?"

McCree smiles at him. "I just thought I'd be with my…"

"If you say, boyfriend, I swear I will…" Before Hanzo could finish his threat, though, the mare whined loudly. 

McCree walked over to the horse with a bright smile. "Hey, Smokes." He then hugged the mare around the neck. "I missed you so much."

Hanzo thought he heard a whine in the man's voice and his heart lurched. He didn't want him to feel sad… and that was dangerous. So, he did as usual and let the feeling subside and watched from a distance. 

When McCree was finished with his moment with his mare. He spoke to her. "How are you doing? Genji' not feeding you too many apples is he?

The mare, Smokes, shook her head but seemed to be mischievous. 

"Hey now, you don't need to put on too much weight okay."

She shook her head.

"Hey now, I'm not saying you're fat. I just don't want you to get unhealthy darling."

Hanzo chuckled at their banter. It was endearing to see the relationship they had and it made Hanzo wonder how McCree would be around other animals. 

"You know, I think she can afford to have a few apples." Hanzo states as he walks over to McCree. He then starts petting the mare's mane again. 

"You think so?" McCree asked.

"Yes," Hanzo replied as he examined the mare's body. "She could actually use some more weight." 

"Huh, alright."

Hanzo raised an eyebrow. "Alright?"

"Yeah," McCree stated as he started to pet Smokes's mane. "You know a lot about helping animals so why not trust you."

Hanzo was surprised by McCree's trust in him and apparently, the surprise was on his face because McCree pointed it out. "You don't have to be so shocked that I trust you, darling."

Hanzo huffed in response. "I don't really expect people to trust me."

"Why not?"

"I…" Hanzo stopped. He wasn't really sure if he should say anything. It would make him vulnerable and right now being vulnerable wasn't something he could afford to be…but McCree sounded so downtrodden. 

"You don't have to tell me anything. I just…"

"I don't trust people. So, I don't expect them to trust me." Hanzo stated quickly focusing intensely on the mare's mane. "That is why I live out here. The animals I can trust better." 

He kept his gaze on Smokes. He didn't want to see the pity or laughable expression McCree might have on his face, but when he heard him speak he wasn't full of pity or laughter. His tone was one of understanding. 

"Yeah, people can really suck." The man then sighed heavily. "I used to be a cavalry soldier when I was younger. I was pushed into it because I made a lot of mistakes when I was a kid, but it wasn't bad. That's how I met Smokie and I made a few friends."

McCree smiled for a moment as he petted Smokie and remembered his old friends, but his smile faded as he kept remembering. "However, they um… We did horrible things and I couldn't be a part of that anymore… so I left and for a long time I kept my distance from other people." 

"What changed your mind?" Hanzo asked carefully, not wanting to step too far. 

McCree took a deep breath then smiled at Hanzo. "I met people who helped me to trust again. To trust people and to trust myself." 

Hanzo chuckled at that. "That sounds kind of ironic."

"Yeah. I guess so." McCree then placed a hand on Hanzo's shoulder. "Look I'm not telling you to trust me or anyone, but I figured if I let you know something about me…"

"I appreciate your honesty and understanding, but…"

"It's okay," McCree said with a genuine smile. " I know it takes time."

Hanzo looked at him. His stupid yet endearing smile, the honesty in his eyes, and for a moment he felt safe to be open. "How would you like to go on a walk with me sometime?" 

McCree looked confused. "A walk?"

"Yes, I make rounds in the forest to make sure the animals are safe in the mornings and I think it might be good for you to stretch your legs, but we should probably wait until you are a bit better." 

Hanzo thought he would say no. Inside some small part of him wanted him to say no, but a big part kind of wanted him to say…

"Sure. I'd love too.”


	4. Chapter 4

When Zenyatta returns he deems Jesse to be the perfect picture of health… more or less. The handyman has been walking around Hanzo’s home and in the forest some, and his wounds have healed rather tremendously in Zenyatta’s opinion.

“Usually, wounds this severe take months to heal, but Hanzo’s work has allowed you to heal almost completely in less than a month and a half.”

Jesse lets out a low whistle. “Oh wow. That’s impressive.”

“Yes,” Zenyatta states as he finishes examining Jesse’s left arm. “It almost kind of seems…”

“Seems what?” Jesse asks, curious. It wasn’t often that the Doc kept his opinions to himself. 

Zenyatta smiles. “It seems almost magical your recovery.”

Jesse laughs at that, but Zenyatta seems to not find it funny. He is smiling, but his eyes seem worrisome, which makes Jesse nervous. 

Zenyatta, however, composes himself and returns to his normal calmness. “But magic does not exist. Only good doctors and healers, and thanks to Hanzo you are free to return home now.”

“I am?” 

“Yes, if you wish.”

“I do.” Or did he? Sure home has its comforts like his bed, his tools, and Smokie. Town has his friends, but neither of those places has…

“You know I do not think Hanzo would mind if you stayed longer.” Zenyatta says with a reassuring smile.

Jesse blushes and scratches his head. “It’s that obvious?”

Zenyatta smirks. “Well, you have changed a bit.”

“What do you mean?” 

Zenyatta huffs and smiles as he places his stethoscope back in his bag. “You used to only look at him in lust, but now you have a look of affection for him.” 

“I…” He is going to deny it, but it is useless to try and hide things from the Doc. So, he sighs and admits. “I do. I like him, but there’s no way he likes me.”

“And why do you believe that?”

“Well, I’ve been a pain in his ass for a little while now with my flirting and then this, and it seems like every time I try to connect with him he avoids me.”  
Jesse looks down at the floor feeling sad. It is good to admit his feelings, but it sucks to know he has no chance with Hanzo. He is so distant and avoidant that it seems he wants to be left alone. 

“You know,” Zenyatta states as he places a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “ flowers take a lot of time and energy to be grown. Many people wonder if it is worth the trouble to help them bloom, but if you care for them enough you will find that when they bloom it was all worth it.” 

Jesse huffs and smiles. “Yeah.” 

He then looks up at Zenyatta. “Thanks Doc.”

“No thanks is necessary. Just be sure to ask before you stay, and do not give up on him.” Zenyatta then turns to leave the room, but before he does he turns back with a serious expression. “Be careful, though. The Shimadas have been through a lot.”

“What…” Jesse starts to ask, but Zenyatta leaves before he can finish asking.   
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While Zenyatta and McCree are busy discussing his injuries, Hanzo is outside examining the animals and talking to Maki. The wolf is a good listener and she will not tell anyone his secrets, not because she could not speak, but because she is loyal to Hanzo. So, he talks to her about how the curse is progressing. 

He sits against a tree with his right pant leg pulled up and both sleeves rolled up, showing Maki the scars. “The one on my leg has spread past my knee, and the one on my arm is a bit past my wrist and close to my elbow.”

Hanzo sighs deeply, eyes filled with fear. “I don’t have a lot of time left. Probably, 6 to 8 months at most.”

Maki whines with her ears and head lowered. She then licks Hanzo’s left arm.

The healer grins wearily at her and pets her behind the ears. “It will be alright Maki. Genji will take care of you after I am gone.”

Maki whines louder and moves closer to Hanzo, laying her head down in his lap. 

Hanzo pets her gently and lays his head back against the tree. He closes his eyes hoping the tears that threaten to spill will stay hidden, for Maki’s sake.   
If he had not saved McCree and helped him through his recovery he would not be so close to death, but he does not regret helping him. He is a good person. He had helped save Genji, he helped Hanzo when he could as he stayed with him, and he tried to connect with him even though he did his upmost to push him away. He is stubborn and flirtatious and brave and beautiful. He deserves to live, he needs to, so the town can have someone to fix their problems. 

As for his problems he would have to face them soon. He would have to tell Genji about the curse’s progression soon and figure out what to do about his home and the animals. It was a lot to figure out for one person. So, for now, Hanzo decides to ignore his problems and go home. 

He opens his eyes and looks down at Maki. “Alright. I have to get going. McCree and Dr. Zenyatta should be done soon.”

Maki nods then stands up so Hanzo can get up. Once he is standing and his sleeves and pant leg are rolled down he starts walking home with Maki by his side until he gets close. He then asks Maki to head back into the forest so he can speak with Zenyatta and McCree alone. She doesn’t want to go, but she respects Hanzo’s wishes and goes away. The healer then walks the rest of the way to his house. Once he gets there Zenyatta is outside preparing his horse for the trip back to town. 

“Leaving us so soon?” Hanzo asks as he approaches the doctor.

Zenyatta keeps his attention on his horse. “Well, McCree is in very good shape. At this point he should not need any more treatment from me.”

“So, does that mean he is able to return home?” Hanzo asks as he starts to examine Zenyatta’s brown gelding.

“He may if he wishes.” Zenyatta states as he shifts his attention on Hanzo. “But if you want him to stay I am sure he would stay.”

“Of course I do not want him to stay,” Hanzo says, but he is not sure if he means it. He hates to admit it but it has been nice to have someone around to talk to who will talk back, but it would be equally nice to return to his solitude… wouldn’t it? “And even if I wanted him to, which I don’t, he has people waiting for him to return to town and he misses being home.”

Zenyatta nods. “Very well, but be certain of what you want. Life is too fleeting to not allow ourselves some happiness.”

Hanzo pauses and looks at Zenyatta probingly. Zenyatta stares back with his usual calm exterior. They stare for a long time, but no matter how hard Hanzo looks he could not find ill intent anywhere on the doctor’s face. That is just like him, to know everyone’s secrets and yet not use them to cause any harm. Hanzo respects and hates Zenyatta for that, but what drives him even more crazy is the fact that he had not noticed until now that Zenyatta knew. 

Hanzo puts on a threatening expression. “How long have you known?” 

“I have known for a while, but what I do not know is why you are so close to death. How Genji described your condition I thought you had longer to live.” 

“I have long enough.” Hanzo avoids.

Zenyatta’s calm turns to worry and then he begs. “Please Hanzo, if you would let me examine you maybe I could help you…”

“No!” Hanzo yells. He then sighs and races a hand through his hair. “I am sorry, but nothing can be done to help me. So, just leave me be and go back to town where you can help.”

Zenyatta stares sadly at Hanzo. He then reaches out and squeezes the dying man’s shoulder. “Alright. I shall respect your wishes, but promise me that you will tell them soon.”

Hanzo looks at the man puzzled. “Them?”

“Yes,” Zenyatta nods as he lets go of Hanzo’s shoulder and makes sure his saddle is fastened tightly. “Genji is not the only person who will miss you when you are gone.”

The doctor then hops onto his horse and tells Hanzo goodbye before heading off back to the trail that leads to town. After he is gone Hanzo stands outside for a moment, scared. He knows who Zenyatta means and he is right. McCree deserves to at least know he is dying. He is after all his friend, as hard as it was for him to admit, but how will he explain without revealing to the handyman what he really is and what he could do?  
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Hanzo awakes an hour before sunrise, his nightmares scaring him. He then goes through his usual routine. He checks his scars and he sighs as he is reminded how close to death he is. He takes a bath, dries off, wrings out his hair, then ties a towel around his waist. His next step would be to pick out some clothes then go make breakfast, but before he even makes it to his dresser he hears someone walking around in the kitchen. 

McCree usually sleeps until ten, so Hanzo is on high alert as he grabs his bow from under his bed and an arrow from his quiver. He then nocks the arrow and walks cautiously down the hallway toward the kitchen. As he walks he smells something good, like sausage and gravy and fresh biscuits, and he hears simple humming. He also sees candle light which makes sense considering it is still somewhat dark outside, but it confuses him. A thief would not want themselves to be known and they definitely wouldn’t take the time to make breakfast, but it did seem like something his house quest would do. 

He sighs and leans against the wall, hitting his head against the wood. He hates himself for being so nervous. He has never had anyone intrude his home in the years he has lived here and Maki definitely would have let him know. Maybe his nightmares were getting to him more than he thought.

So, quickly, he turns back around and heads to his room, but he does not make it far before he hears a low whistle. “Wow.”

Hanzo instantly moves his left arm in front of him, hoping McCree didn’t see his scar and he does his best to move his right leg to where the scar there is not visible. Thankfully, he was turned so his back side faced McCree so hiding it isn’t that difficult. Now he just has to get away before McCree can get close.

Thankfully, when Hanzo turns his head to see McCree, he doesn’t appear to be moving. In fact, he seems to be frozen, not even breathing. 

“Is everything alright?” Hanzo asks with a curious look.

His question seems to spark something in McCree that allows him to move again, but he still stares which concerns Hanzo. However, what he says concerns him more. 

He smiles, not wickedly or flirtatiously, but in admiration as he says “Yeah, I’m just enjoying the view.” 

It isn’t really the words that concern Hanzo, but his expression. It is the look you wear when you see a beautiful sunset or a rare jewel. It scares Hanzo, not just because he feels something, but because he knows McCree is feeling something too… and he couldn’t let him. 

So even though he appreciates the compliment he huffs annoyedly. “This is not something for you to view.” 

Hanzo then walks away into his room hoping his cold gesture would stop this, but his concern for appearing cold stops him from realizing the blush on his nape and cheeks.   
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Hanzo stays quiet through breakfast despite McCree’s best efforts, and during their walk the healer makes sure to keep his whole focus on the animals so he won’t have to interact with the handyman. However, despite his best efforts to avoid the man and ignore him, his gaze would fall upon McCree every now and then, especially when he was helping the animals. 

Ever since McCree started joining him on his rounds in the forest Hanzo has noticed that he is fairly good at taking care of them. It took him some time to understand what types of food the different species of birds eat and how to properly examine the conditions of the animals, but he learned quickly. Getting along with the animals, though, wasn’t very difficult for him. In fact, most of them found him to be very friendly. The only animal that took some time to warm up to the handyman was Maki. 

The first time McCree joined Hanzo on his rounds she kept her distance. Hanzo had told her about McCree and what he had done to help him, so he worried she might blame McCree for his condition worsening, and this seemed to be the case when she appeared the second time and started growling at him. McCree had froze and Hanzo stood in front of him trying to calm her down. “Maki it’s alright. He is just walking with me. Everything is fine.”  
Maki ignored him and stared at McCree, continuing to growl. 

Hanzo knew this was his fault. She was just mad because Hanzo was dying quicker because of the help he had given McCree, at least that’s what he thought. However…

“Let me talk with her.” McCree stated as he moved around Hanzo. 

Hanzo tried to stop him. He grabbed his right arm pulling him back. “Don’t! She might…”

“It’s okay.” McCree said with a smile. “If she does anything I know you’ll be here to help me.” 

The handyman then slowly walked toward the wolf. He seemed scared to Hanzo and he was sure McCree was going to get himself hurt, but as soon as he spoke Maki started to relax. He crouched down and looked at her with a smile. “Hey. It’s okay. I ain’t gonna hurt you.”

She stopped growling, but she kept an aggressive stance. She then looked toward Hanzo then back at McCree. She was asking him something, but Hanzo wasn’t sure what she was asking. McCree seemed to understand, though. “Oh, I see. Don’t worry. I won’t hurt him either. I promise.”

Maki walked over to him, still judging him, and looked into his eyes. Hanzo knew she was trying to see if he was telling the truth, and he watched carefully for her verdict. She stared and sniffed around his face then when she was finished she sat down and licked his face. Hanzo smiled slightly. She had judged him and decided to trust him, but it still made him nervous. If she could trust him then maybe he could, but he was still scared. Even now, after having lived with him for about a month and a half, he is terrified of the handyman and he knows why, but admitting why is not something he is willing to do. So, he tries to ignore McCree and keep to himself as they walk outside and check the animals. However, just as he did at breakfast, McCree insists to make conversation as he pets on Maki.

“You know, you never said how you met this pretty girl.” He states as he scratchs Maki behind the ears.

Hanzo doesn’t say anything and finishes filling the last of the bird feeders. He then looks up in the tress at the birds. “Alright, you may come eat now.” 

The birds sitting in the trees fly down and start to eat out of the feeder. Hanzo hums in satisfaction as he watchs them, but his satisfaction is short lived when McCree walks over and pats him on the shoulder. 

“Looks like they’re happy. Good work darling.” He says with his signature grin. 

Hanzo shrugs then starts to walk away, but before he can get anywhere McCree grabs his arm. “Hey wait a sec.”

Hanzo huffs then turns toward McCree. “Yes?”

McCree lets go of Hanzo’s arm then looks at him very seriously. “What am I doing wrong?”

Hanzo stays silent, but raises his eyebrow questioningly. This causes McCree to sigh, and scratch his head, seeming frustrated. “I just don’t understand it. You blush when I compliment you and we get along pretty well most of the time, and our disagreements aren’t over huge things. I just… why do you keep pushing me away?”

Hanzo is stumped and he has no idea how to answer him. He can’t answer him honestly, but he doesn’t want to lie. Lying, however, is the best way for him to push him away even more and make him hate him so that he won’t like him anymore… but does he want that? 

It is at this moment that the healer realizes that he enjoys having McCree around. He has been overbearing at times with his flirting and nicknames, but he enjoys the compliments and his stories and the times where he has cooked have been amazing. He is also very good with the animals and he is kind to them and to Hanzo. 

Overall, he likes this man, more than he will ever admit, but he can’t let him in… he just…

“I’m sorry.”

Hanzo snaps out of his thoughts and looks at McCree. Apparently he had thought so long that he made the man feel guilty because his frustration had simmered down to something more sorrowful. “I didn’t mean to pry and get frustrated on you. I’m not going to try and justify myself. I’m…”

“Do not apologize for something that is not your fault.” Hanzo states, a bit of his own feelings of guilt slipping into his tone.  
McCree then tries to speak again, but Hanzo holds his hand up. “I should be the one apologizing for causing you such frustration. It has never been easy for me to allow people into my life as I have told you before and I suppose I push you away because I am not certain how I feel about this situation or you, but I am alright allowing you into parts of my life. I would not have allowed you to walk in the forest with me and help me care for the animals if I was not alright with it.”

Hanzo then pauses and takes a deep breathe steadying himself for his next words. “You have trusted me very much and I have not trusted you a lot in return, but I believe in time I could trust you just as much as you have trusted me. Just give me the time and allow me to understand how I feel about this.”

After saying his piece, Hanzo isn’t sure what to expect from McCree, but a huge smile and a hug is not something he found out of the ordinary for the handyman. The hug was tight and Hanzo usually is not a fan of such intimate actions, but he is alright with this.  
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After their conversation in the forest, Hanzo seems at ease, more than Jesse had seen him in the almost two months he had been staying with him. It makes him feel hopeful that he would allow him to stay, but the handyman doesn’t want to get his hopes up too high. The healer’s distrust of people seems to run deep and it had taken some time and trust on Jesse’s end to get them to this point. It would be up to Hanzo to get them the rest of the way, and Jesse would respect his wishes and give him the time and patient he asked for, and if that means Jesse has to leave he will leave. He just really doesn’t want to. 

As they prepare dinner Jesse thinks about how he will go about asking his host if he can stay longer. Maybe I could do some work for him? I do owe him for saving my life after all and helping me through my recovery. The handyman thinks as he chops up some herbs for the salads they are going to have for dinner. It isn’t a meal Jesse is fond of. He honestly likes a little meat to go with his dinner, but Hanzo is starting to run low on supplies again and he does not hunt the animals in the forest for food. He only eats meat that is prepared in town and comes from livestock, so Jesse isn’t going to be too picky about what they are going to eat. However, he does hate to be taking up Hanzo’s supplies. Maybe it might be better for me to leave so that he doesn’t have to feed me? 

As he finishes cutting up the herbs he glances at Hanzo. He is mixing some kind of vinaigrette to go with the salad while placing chopped carrots into two bowls that already have lettuce, cucumbers, and mushrooms in them. He is concentrating very hard on doing everything right and Jesse likes that about him. It is admirable to try and ensure everything is well, even for something as small as a salad. It shows how much care Hanzo can put into things and it reminds Jesse how much care he has put into his recovery. Did he really have the right to ask Hanzo if he could stay after how much time and energy he has taken away from him?

“You seem to have a lot of troublesome thoughts on your mind?” Hanzo states, not even looking up from his vinaigrette. 

Apparently, the handyman’s worries re speaking very loudly in his mind. “Sorry darling. Didn’t know my thoughts were speaking so loudly.”

“It is alright.” Hanzo replies as he sets aside the dressing he has been mixing and turns toward Jesse. “But if something is bothering you I would like to know.”

“Awww,” Jesse says as he starts walking toward Hanzo with the chopped up herbs. “You worrying over little old me?”

Hanzo shrugs. “You are my patient. I need to make sure you feel well.”

Jesse chuckles at that, but he quickly deflates into a more somber tone. “I’m not really that injured anymore, so technically I’m not your patient.”

As Jesse hands Hanzo the herbs he sees that the healer has been caught off guard by the comment. It is as if he has forgotten that Zenyatta had cleared him yesterday, but as always the healer recovers quickly and expresses a defensive exterior as he takes the bowl of herbs form Jesse’s hands. 

“You are right. You do not need me anymore.” The healer replies as he turns his attention back to the salads. 

Jesse hates those words coming out of Hanzo’s mouth because his tone makes it sound like Hanzo doesn’t think Jesse not only does not need him, but does not want him anymore, and that is so far from the truth. He wants to be here and stay with him and help him with the animals, potions, and his personal troubles regardless of if he gets anything out of it or not. 

“You might be right,” he begins as he scratches his head nervously. “but that doesn’t mean I don’t wanna be here.”

Hanzo pauses in his work and turns to the handyman with a confused expression. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Jesse sighs nervously, “I’ve really enjoyed being around here. It’s peaceful and the host is really nice and I like being around him, even though he can kind of be a pain in the ass.” 

His comment gets a tiny smirk out of the man in front of him, which gives Jesse more confidence to ask what he has been wanting to ask. So, he takes a deep breath and smiles. “So, if it’s alright with the host I would like to stay here a bit longer and enjoy this place a bit more. I’d also like to repay the host for taking care of me by doing whatever he deems as proper payment.”

Hanzo’s smirk is gone and he seems surprised. Jesse isn’t sure if he is pleasantly surprised or horribly shocked, but he doesn’t have to wait long to hear Hanzo speak. “Are you sure?”

He sounds skeptical to Jesse, as if he doesn’t think the handyman would want to stay with him. So, Jesse tries his best to put on the most sincere look his face can muster. “I am absolutely positive sweetheart.”

Hanzo takes in a breathe in an attempt to hide the smile that starts to creep on his face. He then replies. “Very well, but if you are to stay we will need more supplies.”

Jesse grins widely. “Alright then, let’s head in tomorrow then.”

“No,” Hanzo states very defensively. “We can wait a bit longer, but we shall go soon.”

Jesse is concerned by Hanzo’s reaction to heading to town, but he does not want to push him after making such a huge request. Still though, he has to wonder what makes Hanzo so frightened of going to town and being around people.


	5. Chapter 5

It took 3 days of them feasting on carrots and smaller and smaller amounts of lettuce for Jesse to finally convince Hanzo it was time for them to go to town. It wasn’t easy and the healer constantly sighed and pouted as they prepared themselves for the journey, but once they were on their way his mood shifted from irritated to nervous, and he got very quiet when they got close to the outskirts of town. 

He didn’t even make any quips when Jesse started complaining about the walking and the chills from the cold fall wind. When they went on walks in the woods he would always make smart ass witticisms when Jesse complained or did something he deemed to be dumb, and that usually ended up with them joking and chuckling. However, today, he just stayed silent no matter what Jesse did. It scared him a bit and he wondered if going to town was such a great idea. So, when they got to where they could see the first few buildings Jesse grabbed Hanzo’s arm to stop him and get his attention. 

“Hey, are you doing alright? You’ve been pretty quiet for a good while now.” 

Hanzo pulled his arm away and shrugged. “I will be fine. Now let us continue.” 

The healer then started to walk away, but Jesse was not satisfied with his answer. So, he stood in front of him. “Fine aint good. What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. Now let’s go.” Hanzo then tried to walk past, but Jesse stood his ground.

“Look. I know somethings bothering you, and you don’t have to say, but just know that if you want to turn back and go home we can. Or you can go and I can get supplies and ride back on Smokie?” The handyman then smiled. “Whatever will make you feel more comfortable we can do it.” 

Jesse thought that might make Hanzo feel better, but he just looked at Jesse crossly. He also had a slight blush on his cheeks so Jesse didn’t think he was actually mad. His expression still confused him, though, and the fact that he wasn’t saying anything and just staring at him didn’t make Jesse feel any better. 

Thankfully, the tension was broken when Hanzo sneezed and shivered slightly. It was really cute to Jesse and he couldn’t help but grin which caused Hanzo to be annoyed. “Stop that.”

“Sorry darling. It was just really…”

“Shut up. I do not want to hear anymore of your compliments.” Hanzo then sighed and looked toward town. “I have been to town many times. I will be fine as long as we keep the trip short.”

Jesse nodded. “Alrighty sweetheart, but if it aint too much to ask could we stop by my house before we head back? I can hook up the wagon to carry the supplies while we’re there and get me a better coat since the fall chill is rolling in.”

“That sounds f…” He was about to say fine. Jesse knew it, but he stopped and instead he slightly smiled and switched to “Good. That sounds good.”  
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In town, the two men made the decision to visit Zenyatta’s office first to say hello to the doctor, Lucio, and Genji. However, when they got there Zenyatta informed them that Lucio and Genji were out at lunch together. 

“Really?” McCree had said with a smirk. “Took them long enough.”

“Agreed.” Zenyatta stated with a smirk of his own. “However, I do not think we should hope for too much, but I am happy they are starting to do something.” 

Hanzo had to agree with that. When they first ran away Genji was very skeptical about being with anyone, even though, the curse did not have its hold on him anymore. However, it seemed to change when they finally settled down in this town and he found Zenyatta’s office. Here he has found and met people who have cared about him and here his crush on Lucio blossomed. It made Hanzo happy to know his brother had opened up and was happy… it would make dying easier. 

“I am not sure when they will be back. I told them to take as long as they needed since we do not have many patients today.” Zenyatta stated snapping Hanzo from his thought. “But when they return I will let them know you stopped by.”

“Thanks Doc.” McCree replied with a tip of his hat. “Anyway, we’ve got some errands to run, so we’ll get out of your hair.” The handyman then held a hand out to the doctor. “Good to see you Doc.”

Zenyatta took McCree’s hand and shook it gently. “Good to see you as well Jesse, and you, Hanzo.”

Hanzo nodded curtly and slightly smiled. “Likewise.”

The healer then turned to leave, but before he and his companion made it to the door Zenyatta spoke. “Oh, and Jesse, please stop by Torbjorn’s workshop before you leave. The family has been very worried and I think they would like to see you.”

Jesse replies with a smile. “Sure thing Doc.” However, Hanzo saw a look of confusion from the man’s face as they turned to leave the office. 

Outside the office the two men stand for a moment in silence looking at the people walking around the buildings. Hanzo looks over to McCree and sees that he is thinking deeply about something, and this peaks the healer’s curiosity. 

He leans so that he can see his face better. “What has you so troubled?”

McCree immediately snaps as if he didn’t realize he was thinking so hard. He then blushes a bit and smiles bashfully. “Sorry sweetheart. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Hanzo quirked his head. “It seems like something I need to worry about if it affects my patient.”

McCree smirked. “Hey now. We established that I’m not your patient anymore.” 

The healer shrugged. “Still, I would like to know what troubles you.”

“Well,” McCree started with a sigh. “I’m worried that Zenyatta’s sending me to Torbjorn’s for more than a social call.”

Hanzo raised his eyebrow in response as a sign he wanted the handyman to continue.

“You know who Torb is right?” 

Hanzo nodded in reply. He had heard of the blacksmith and his experimental works. Most of them had been failures, but his few successes have made him a lot of money and given him a lot of credit among medical and military experts. Most of the money he uses to improve upon his past projects so that he can create better versions of his metal ligaments. It is a noble pursuit to try and create something to help those who have lost their arms and legs, and Hanzo respects him for it. 

“Do you believe he has made an arm for you?” The healer asks.

McCree nods. “Yeah, and I don’t know if I can accept it.”

“Why not?” Hanzo bluntly asks. He could not think of anyone more worthy of help such as this, and his answer reinforced the healer’s belief.

“Because I can’t pay him back right now, and whatever he’s made for me could help someone else who needs it. I mean I’ve seen my share of people who’ve lost limbs and Torb’s works are very impressive and could help those people a lot more than a small town handyman.”

Hanzo looked at this man with an angry expression. Angry because he was worrying about something so trivial as money. Because he was not considering himself and seemed to be holding himself in such a low self-esteem. Because his answer was so endearing and it made Hanzo like him more and that was never a good thing, especially considering his condition.

“You believe you are not as deserving of this gift as other men.” Hanzo stated as he crossed his arms and walked closer to McCree with a hard stare. “You are very deserving of it and you should accept it. You have helped many people in this town for very little in return and you offer your company to people even if they are a pain in the ass. You care for people whether they be human or animal, and you give them the time they need to understand things, and I know most of this because I have witnessed it personally.” 

The healer then turned and started walking. “Now, we are going to see this blacksmith and you are going to accept that arm, and if your are so worried about money I will pay the man for it.”

“Han…” McCree tried to argue, but Hanzo did not allow him.

“You can pay me back by helping me at home. Now come.” And without another word the healer continued walking. The handyman eventually, joined him with a timid, yet grateful smile on his face.   
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The moment they stepped into the blacksmith’s shop, Jesse could smell the burning coals and the iron. It made him feel less nervous and reminded him of when he first came into town. He didn’t really have anywhere to live yet since he had to fix up the house he was living in and bring it to some sort of livable state, so he tried to find a place to stay. The inn was too expensive and many people here were not welcoming of him. He couldn’t blame them. He was a scruffy looking man with a horse to house as well. However, the Amari’s, bless their hearts, housed him and sent him to Torbjorn and his family to ask if they would house Smokie on the farm they had a small ways outside town. They agreed, but Jesse had to help in the forge which was fine with him. While helping, Torb taught him some easier ways to fix piping and what screws were proper to ensure stability in different types of hardware and furnishings, and overtime the blacksmith and his large family became very close friends of the handyman. However, despite them being very close he knew Torb would give him grief about losing his arm.

“I cannot believe you went off and got your arm cut off by petty thieves.” The blacksmith chastised. 

Speak of the devil. “Nice to see you too Torb.”

The small, Swedish man walked into the room with an annoyed scowl on his face. He looked about the same as the last time Jesse had seen him, soot and sweat covered with a grumpy expression. It made the handyman feel better. He would rather have the old blacksmith look at him in his usual way rather than with pity or a soft smile. It let Jesse know that Torb wasn’t going to treat him differently because he lost a limb and that was reassuring. 

“So, I suppose you’re here because Zenyatta sent you?” The blacksmith asked.

Jesse smirked. “Yeah. He told me ya’ll were worried about little old me.”

The blacksmith chuckled. “Of course. Who else will I have to mend the doors and fix the roof on this place if you’re not around.”

“Hehe. You’d figure it out I’m sure.” Jesse said with a shrug and a smile. He then turned back to Hanzo who had been standing silently by his side. “Anyway, before we get carried away this is Hanzo. He’s been helping me recover.”

Torb focuses his gaze on Hanzo. He looks at him with serious concentration. Jesse knows what he’s doing. He did the same thing when Ana introduced Jesse to him for the first time. He was trying to gauge whether Hanzo was a friend or someone he needed to worry about. 

When the small man had done this to Jesse it had made him nervous, but Hanzo didn’t show any signs of that. He stood tall, his arms crossed, and stared back. He seemed calm as a cucumber, but hard as a rock all at the same time. Jesse had seen many people like this, specifically higher ups who didn’t want to show any doubt or fear to the soldiers under their command, and even though the illusion worked on many there was always something in their eyes that gave away the fact that they were hiding something. This is how Hanzo appeared to Jesse and if this is how he seemed to him he knew the blacksmith would think the same. 

However, Torb didn’t mention anything about it. Instead he held out a hand to the man, pairing it with a neutral expression. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Hanzo.”  
Hanzo took his hand firmly. “Likewise.”

The tension between the two was making Jesse nervous, but thankfully a warm, cheery voice from the backroom where Torb’s equipment was broke the two men form their handshake. “Papa! Could you come back here please?”

“Coming.” Torb replied as he started to walk to the backroom. “You two come on back. I have something I need to show you, Jesse.”

The two men followed the blacksmith into the backroom. In there was where Torb did most of his main work and it was cluttered with tools and unfinished/broken projects. There was also a young, tall, brunette girl in there sitting at a table with her back turned toward them working on something. 

“Papa I need some advice on this last piece.” She stated without turning around. 

“I’ll help you in a minute sweetie, but first we have some company.” The blacksmith said with a smile.

The girl turned around and her face lit up with the biggest smile. “Jesse!” She then got up and proceeded to give him a giant hug which caused Jesse to be unable to breath well. “It’s so good to see you!”

“Good to see you too, Brigitte.” The handyman strained to say.

When she let him out of the hug she smiled at him and looked him over. “Looks like you’ve been staying in pretty good shape even though you’ve been on bed rest for a while.”

Her smile then waivered and she looked at Jesse sadly. “I’m so sorry about your arm.”

Jesse shrugged and smiled at Brigitte. “It’s alright. Nothing I can’t do without.”

He felt awful for making her look sad. Brigitte was always a beacon of happiness and kindness with a bit of grit and spunk from her father. She always welcomed people with a smile and if they needed her help she never hesitated to lend a hand. He always liked that about her and he hated to see her deflate because of his injury. 

However, she didn’t stay that way for long, and smiled excitedly. “Well, you won’t have to do without for much longer.”  
Brigitte then looked to her father with a questioning look on her face. The blacksmith smiled and nodded. “Alright. You can show him.”

“Thank you Papa.” She then grabbed Jesse’s arm and pulled him over to the table where she had been working previously. On it was a huge, metal arm. “Tada!”  
Jesse’s eyes widened. He knew that Zenyatta hadn’t just sent him here for a social call, but despite him being right he was still shocked by the masterpiece in front of him. It was the sleekest, and most complicated experimental prosthetic Jesse had seen Torb produce. It was entirely silver, no paint on it or logos like many of the other projects the blacksmith worked on, and it was polished to a nice shine. 

“I hope you like it. Papa and I have been working on it since we heard about the attack. It’s a bit more simplistic than Papa’s usual work, but he didn’t think you would like anything too fancy.” Brigitte explained. “He also made it very light so it wouldn’t weigh you down while you’re working or when you are riding. It’s still got a few more parts we have to finish, but it should be ready by tomorrow and we can put it on you. The procedure will take a few hours, but…”

“I can’t accept this.” Jesse interrupted. 

Brigitte looked at him confused. “What do you mean? Of course you can.”

Jesse shook his head. “I can’t afford it and I don’t wanna put you and your Pa behind on bills or other projects.”

“Bullshit.” Torb states, now standing behind Jesse with his hand on his hip and a stern expression.   
Jesse turns to face him. “Torb I…”

Torb points a finger at him. “Don’t. You are a friend of the family and no friend of mine is going to go without his arm. Besides, you can’t fix doors, roofs or anything else without your other arm, and I wouldn’t trust anyone else to fix up the home maintenance problems in this town. So, you are going to take that arm even if I have to beat you over the head with it first.”

There was nothing Jesse could really say to that. He looked around the room trying to come up with something more to say, another reason why he shouldn’t take the arm, but he couldn’t find anything. Even when he looked to Hanzo for help he just looked at him with a sly smile and shrugged. Bastard.

“Fine,” the handyman sighed. “ya’ll win. I’ll take the arm, but I’m gonna pay you back for it.” 

“You can pay me back by coming to the house and fixing the door.” Torb said with a smirk.

“And having dinner with us sometime soon.” Brigitte added, smirking as well, then looking at Hanzo. “You can bring your friend along as well.”

“That is not necessary.” Hanzo stated as he finally walked over and joined the other people in the room. He had been staying close to the entry way the whole time they spoke to give them space Jesse supposed. 

“Of course it is. Anyone who is a friend of Jesse’s is a friend of ours and is welcome to a Lindholm family dinner.” Brigitte said with a smile. She then held out a hand to Hanzo, but with a warm grin instead of her father’s judgmental stare. “I’m Brigitte by the way. It is nice to meet you.”  
Hanzo seems perplexed by her friendliness, but takes her hand. “Hanzo Shimada.”

Brigitte shakes his hand warmly. She then looks back to Jesse. “Anyway, we’ll finish it up tonight and you can come by about noon tomorrow. Does that sound okay with you?”

Jesse thought for a moment. He could stay in town tonight at his house. It’d make things easier, but he knew Hanzo wasn’t comfortable around town and would probably prefer to go home after they finished gathering supplies. He’d have Smokie anyway since they’d be using the wagon to take supplies back to Hanzo’s house, so he could probably make it back to town before noon. 

“Alright. Sounds good. See ya’ll then.”

“Alrighty. Be safe and have a nice day.” Brigitte says before giving Jesse another hug. She then looks to Hanzo. “I hope you have a nice day as well Hanzo.”

Hanzo nods and smiles slightly. “You as well.”

Jesse turns to Torb. “See you tomorrow you old goat.”

“See you, you prickly bastard.” The blacksmith replies with a smirk. 

Jesse then looks to Hanzo to make sure he is ready to leave and the two head towards the exit of the shop. As they do Hanzo pauses and looks back at Torb. He has a neutral expression and nods slightly at Torb. The blacksmith does the same and then he turns away. Hanzo then turns to leave, joining Jesse at the front door.   
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Procuring supplies goes very slowly, and are more filled with human interaction than Hanzo is used to. He supposes that this is what happens when you hang around the town’s only handyman, but as he meets more of Jesse’s acquaintances he notices that its more than just the fact that McCree fixes things for people. They seem to become calmer around him and enjoy his presence even when they hardly know him, and they seem to depend on him for a lot. Many depend on him for fixing things, but others depend on him for friendship, advice, or just to have someone to listen to them. All of this proved to Hanzo that Jesse was needed in this town and it gave the handyman all the more reason to stay home. 

However, he was still determined to stay with Hanzo and it didn’t make any sense to the healer. Why stay with him when there are people in this town who care for you and need you? The answer was obvious, but Hanzo chose to ignore it. They were friends, nothing more. That’s just how it had to be. 

Eventually, the two men gather all the supplies they need to hold out for a couple months at Hanzo’s home and head to McCree’s home to grab Smokie and the wagon they will transport the supplies in. When they arrive there Hanzo takes a moment to analyze the home.   
It isn’t as big as he thought it might be. In fact, its rather small, but the yard in the back is very spacious for Smokie. Hanzo smiles at that. Of course he would choose a home that was better suited for his horse than himself. 

It isn’t very colorful, but the porch has a yellow rocking chair on it which adds character to the outside. The windows Hanzo can see also have curtains that are a semi-deep green. Overall, it is a quaint place but isn’t exactly the home Hanzo expected for the handyman to have, but what he is seeing is just the outside. There is probably more to the home on the inside. 

“So, what do you think?” McCree asks as they step onto the porch and place their bags of supplies down. 

“It is very small.” Hanzo bluntly admits.

“Yeah, but it’s cozy. Plus Smokie has plenty of room in the yard so it’s worth it.” The handyman states before stretching. “Anyway, you can head in and take a look around if you like. I’m gonna go check on Smokie. Make yourself at home.”

McCree then left Hanzo alone to wander his home. To be honest, Hanzo believes it is very idiotic just to let someone wander around your home by themselves, and he thinks about not doing it. However, he is curious to see if the inside is as incredibly simple as it is on the outside. So, he wanders in.   
Inside Hanzo finds a home that has been lived in and lived in well. There are lots of used pieces of furniture with varying colors in the living and kitchen areas, a painting of horses hanging from one of the walls in the living area, a table sitting against the far wall with several tools sprawled out, and pictures hanging above it. The inside is much more like McCree in Hanzo’s opinion, and it makes him smile. He walks around taking everything in, not touching anything as not to disturb his thoughts.

As he walks he notices the briefest scents of wood, smoke, and whisky in the air and he hears the sound of the wood creek beneath his feet with each step. As he moves he sees an old, used harmonica sitting on an end table near a chair. He looks at it wondering if it was just there for sentimental reasons or if McCree actually played it. The thought of him playing it made him smile.  
Hanzo continues further into the house finding small things, but nothing of significance until he reaches the work table. There Hanzo observes the tools of McCree’s trade. They have been used a lot with rust on some and dents in others. However, none of them are broken. They are just bruised and scared, just like the man that uses them. 

Once he finishes looking at the tools, the healer observes the pictures above the table and finds people. Some are people he recognizes such as Genji and Sheriff Amari, but others he doesn’t know. One man in particular catches Hanzo’s attention. He is an older gentlemen with black hair and facial hair. He wears a uniform common amongst Calvary men and he stands next to a white horse. On the other side of the horse is Smokie and next to her is a younger version of McCree in the same uniform, but not as many pins. 

Hanzo assumes this man was his commanding officer, but it is strange that Jesse would have this picture here. From what he knew McCree wasn’t very fond of his Calvary days, so why would he keep such an image out that would remind him of those days. 

“That’s Reyes.” 

Hanzo stiffens, and turns around ready to fight, but he calms himself when he sees McCree. He also berates himself for not hearing him come in. Maybe his condition is affecting his senses more than he thought. 

McCree smiles slightly. “Sorry for scaring you darling.” 

“You did not scare me.” Hanzo disputes. He then turns back to the pictures to prompt a change is subject. “Who is he?”

Jesse walks over and stands next to Hanzo. He stares at the picture solemnly, his smile gone. “He was my commanding officer for a very long time. He lead me and a bunch of men very well and was the best rider I had ever seen.”

The answer is an overall statement and it is what a lot of men would say about the officer. However, Hanzo was not here for an overall statement. “Who was he to you?”

McCree takes a very long, deep breath. “He was kind of a father to me I guess. When I was really young I lost my family to sickness and had nowhere to go. So I got involved with some pretty bad people so I could survive and I thought that was going to be my life until he came along and kicked my ass. He helped me become a better person and taught me how I could survive on my own so I didn’t have to rely on anyone and have them shape who I was going to be. I owe him a lot.”  
McCree sounded very sad to Hanzo, and the healer hated to see him so upset. He was okay with the conversation ending there, but McCree continued. “He died years ago, and that’s partially the reason I left the Calvary. We were sent on a suicidal assignment and most everyone died, but thanks to him a handful of men survived. Him and his horse there, Ghost, held off a huge posse of crooks to let us escape. I think that’s when I realized that what the Calvary was doing was bullshit. They were just sending men out to die or kill more men and I just got tired of all the death… I just wish I could have done something to…to…”

A couple of tears start to fall from McCree’s eyes. He takes a moment and just stares at the picture letting the droplets roll down his face. Hanzo places a hand on his back and makes calming circles around his shoulder blades with his thumb. He says nothing and lets McCree take his time. 

After a few minutes the handyman wipes his eyes then looks at Hanzo with a pitiful smile. “Sorry darling. Didn’t mean to cry. I just…”

“You do not have to explain anything. I understand.” Hanzo then sighs and takes his hand off McCree’s back so he can lean against the table. “Genji and I lost our parents when I was fifteen. He was twelve. They… also died of sickness.” 

Hanzo hated to have to be so vague with McCree, but he couldn’t allow him to know about the clan or the magic his parents and many generations of Shimadas have been cursed with. It would put him in danger and cause him to worry. However, he could at least let the handyman know what his family meant to him. “My mother taught me how to make the elixirs I have at my home and she taught me about plants and animals. My father taught me how to use a bow and how to defend myself. They gave me skills to help me in life and they helped me and Genji to be happy. They did a lot for us even when it was difficult. I miss them very much.”

The healer can feel tears begin to swell in his eyes, but he keeps them at bay. He still has his stoic image to keep after all. McCree, however, seems to sense Hanzo’s sadness and he places a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “I’m sorry about your folks. Genji told me they had died, but he never said how old he was. Must have been tough.”

Hanzo nods. “It was, but we managed.” 

“Good thing you did. I would have hated not getting the chance to meet you two.” McCree states with a genuine smile.

Hanzo can’t help but smile back. “Likewise.”

The two men stand there for a moment allowing their sadness to dissipate before McCree tells Hanzo that Smokie is ready to go. They then head outside to hook up the wagon and gather the supplies leaving their pasts in the house to settle.   
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The ride back to Hanzo’s place is pretty peaceful. Jesse and Hanzo talk for most of the way, not about anything too personal as they did at his house, but about their interests and hobbies. It’s calming and it helps the handyman to relax after a long day. 

They are almost halfway to the house at this point and evening is starting to settle in as they ride along, Jesse on Smokie’s back and Hanzo in the wagon with the supplies. They are talking about plants, or rather they are playing a game where Jesse points out trees and sees if Hanzo can name them.

“That one is an oak.” Hanzo says, tone confident.

Jesse sighs. “Yeah, that was too easy.”

“You have said that about the past eight trees you have asked me to identify.” Hanzo states with an amused smile. “Face it, handyman, you will not find a tree I do not know.”

Jesse smiles back, determined. “We’ll see…how about…”

Before Jesse could point at a tree, though, the two men heard a loud howl from the right. Jesse told Smokie to stop and he looked back at Hanzo. “Is that…”

Hanzo nods, his expression worrisome. “It is. She is worried.” Hanzo then proceeds to jump out of the wagon. “I am going to see what is wrong. Stay here.”

The healer then starts to leave, but Jesse hops off Smokie and grabs his arm. “No, I’m not letting you go alone. It could be dangerous.”

“I am very capable of handling this myself.” Hanzo stated with a stern expression.

“I know you can darling,” Jesse replies. He knows full well what Hanzo is capable of, but… “But I’d feel better if I was with you. Besides, I have a gun and you don’t have any weapons.” Jesse states as he nods to his holster. He decided to bring his gun along on their journey into town just in case. 

Hanzo looks at the weapon then looks to Jesse. He then sighs and relents. “Fine, but I doubt we will need your gun for anything.”

The two then head into the forest to find Maki. As they walk Hanzo yells her name and she howls back to reaffirm where she is. They do this a few times until Hanzo spots her near a tree. The healer then starts a little faster toward her, and Jesse sees why. Next to Maki is a fox stuck in a foot trap. It is laying on the ground, whining pitifully. 

Hanzo pets Maki when he gets to the spot. “Thank you Maki. I will handle it from here.” He then looks to the fox and kneels down next to it. 

The fox looks at him, frightened, and recoils from the healer a bit. 

Hanzo puts on a reassuring face. “It is alright. I am not here to hurt you. I am here to help.”

The fox stares at Hanzo then looks to Jesse and recoils further. Jesse doesn’t understand why until he thinks about his gun. He looks down at it then looks to the fox. It looks back terrified.

Jesse doesn’t want it to be scared and he knows Hanzo will need its trust if he is to help it. So, he takes his gun and slowly places it onto the ground. He then rises back up and looks at the fox with a soft smile. “It’s okay. I’m not here to hurt you either see.”

The fox looks at him then looks back to Hanzo and finally relaxes. 

“Thank you.” Hanzo says to her. He then looks back at Jesse and nods in thanks. He then begins to release the fox from the trap. 

It was impressive to watch Hanzo work. How carefully he studied the trap and how quickly he found a way to open it. How he watched the fox as he released it and how it looked at him with the upmost gratitude. How he examined its leg and made sure it could walk well before allowing it to return to the forest. It was amazing to witness and Jesse felt he got a better understanding of Hanzo. 

Once the fox was gone, Hanzo rose and turned to Jesse. “She will be fine. Thankfully she was not in the trap for very long judging by how small the wound was on her leg, so the leg should be able to heal on its own. However, I may come check around this part of the woods tomorrow to make sure she is doing well.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Jesse says with a smile. “Now, let’s get back to the wagon before Smokie gets worried.” Jesse then went to grab his gun, but just as he bent down he heard a click sound.

“Hold it right there you bastards.” 

Jesse paused and looked towards where the voice came from. A few feet away from the two men were two hunters and they were pointing their guns at Jesse and Hanzo.

Maki instantly took an aggressive position and started growling, but Hanzo stood in front of her to keep her from doing anything. “What do you two want?”

The larger of the two men look at Hanzo with hatred in his eyes. “You just let our fox go.”

“She is not yours.” Hanzo replied sternly, meeting the hunter’s hateful stare with one of his own. “She is a living creature and is much better roaming the forest than as a pelt.”

“Well, that pelt would have fetched us a good amount of money.” The large man stated. He then points his gun more sharply at Hanzo. “So, since you and your buddy here let it go you two will have to pay us.”

Hanzo stands more straight, looking intimidating. “I owe you nothing.”

At this point Jesse is very worried that Hanzo is going to get himself shot, but he then notices that the other hunter is starting to spilt his focus between Jesse and Hanzo. Hanzo is trying to make himself the center of attention so that Jesse can reach his gun. So, Jesse watches the other hunter’s eyes and waits.

“You owe me seventy dollars. Now you either pay that or I’ll shoot you. That or you can let me shoot that wolf and we’ll call it even.”

Hanzo’s eyes flare up and his expression goes from stern to furious. “You will do no such thing.” He yells. 

Jesse then sees the other hunter’s eyes stay on Hanzo. Now.

In one swift motion, Jesse grabs his gun and shoots the other hunter in the leg. He yelps and it causes the larger hunter to look back which allows Hanzo to take his gun from him and point it towards him. 

Jesse and Hanzo now stand next to each other in front of Maki, pointing guns at the two hunters. 

Hanzo speaks with anger. “Now you two will leave, and if I ever see you in this forest again I will not hesitate to shoot you. Understood.”

The larger man looks pissed, but nods. He then turns to leave, but as he does Jesse notices the other hunter point his gun at Hanzo, hand on the trigger. 

“Hanzo!” Jesse yells as he pushes him out of the way right as he hears the shot. He expects it to hit him, prepares for it even, but the bullet never hits him. Instead,   
Jesse stands, unscathed, and the bullet… the bullet is stopped in mid-air right in front of him. Jesse looks to the two hunters and they looked terrified as they look at the bullet and then to where Hanzo is. Jesse looks to the healer and is shocked.

Hanzo is glowing purple. Well, not everywhere but his eyes are and there is a faint glow near his left forearm and right thigh. His gaze is set on the bullet and as he concentrates on it and it starts to turn away from Jesse and towards the two hunters. Hanzo then looks at the two men and squints his eyes threateningly. 

The hunters seem to understand Hanzo’s message and they turn and start running away into the forest. Hanzo then forces the bullet to fall to the ground. He then looks to Jesse and the handyman is a mixture of emotions. He is scared because Hanzo does not seem himself like this, but he is also in awe because his eyes are beautiful and they, paired with his whitish hair, make him look mystical. 

Hanzo stares at Jesse intently, but unlike with the two hunters, his expression is more worrisome. Jesse doesn’t understand why he would be worried, but then he   
figures that he would want to know if he was okay. “I’m alright Hanzo. Everything’s okay now.”

Hanzo nods. He then looks to Maki with the same expression and she nods her head in reply. 

The healer then closes his eyes. As he does the glowing dims slowly until it is completely gone and when Hanzo opens his eyes they are their usual dark brown. 

Jesse notices him start to fall and he catches him in his arms. “Easy there darling.”

Hanzo looks at him dazed at first, but then his eyes widen and he pushes himself away from Jesse. “You… I… Damnit.”

Hanzo runs both hands through his hair and stares at Jesse. He is breathing erratically and he looks scared. “You were not supposed to see that. I just couldn’t let them…Damnit.” The healer then turns away and Jesse sees him start to shake. 

Jesse isn’t sure what to do or say. Hanzo has always appeared so confident and collected, but now he is scared and confused. He is unsure of the situation and Jesse has to admit that he is too, but what he does know is that he doesn’t want Hanzo to be scared of him because, even though what just happened was very weird, Jesse knows that the man in front of him is still the man he likes a whole damn lot. 

So, the handyman walks over to Hanzo and reaches out carefully to grab his shoulder. “It’s okay Hanzo.”

Hanzo turns his head to him, uncertainty in his eyes. “You are not afraid?”

Jesse smiles softly at him. “I will admit whatever just happened did rattle me a bit and I’ve got a lot of questions, but you could never scare me darling. Like I’ve told you I trust you.”

Hanzo turns to face Jesse now, and he seems a little more sure, but he still holds a defensive stance with his arms crossed and face neutral. “Alright. Then let us get going. I will explain when we are at home.” The healer then starts to walk, but he stumbles a bit and almost falls, but Jesse catches him. 

“Whoa there sweetheart,” Jesse says as he holds Hanzo by the hips. He notices that the healer is still shaking. “I better lend you a hand back to the wagon.”

He knows Hanzo wants to refuse by the look he gives him, but he does not say anything and allows Jesse to help him back to the wagon. As they walk Jesse looks at Hanzo a few times with confusion on his face because he can’t help but think that Hanzo’s hair is a lot whiter than it was before.   
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
At home Hanzo gathers himself and relaxes until he stops shaking. He then makes himself some tea and then proceeds to explain everything to McCree. “For generations my family has had magic, and for a long time we used it to commit sinister acts for a very powerful clan. They forced us to do whatever they wished by torturing us and those we care for.”

“Is that how your parents died?” McCree asked.

“Yes.” Hanzo stated solemnly. “My mother was killed after…” Hanzo pauses, trying to keep himself from crying. “After I refused to kill a family, and my father died of strain when he tried to use his magic to kill the remains of a rival clan.” 

Hanzo lies partially about his father’s death, leaving the detail about how the curse got to him out of his explanation. He had decided to not let Jesse know he was dying yet. He thought Genji deserved to know that information first, and he wasn’t ready to tell him yet. So, he moved past the topic of his parents’ deaths quickly and continued with his explanation. 

“After the death of our parents, Genji and I were the only two left to carry out the clans deeds and we did as we were told until the day they forced us to spar for their enjoyment. We were forced to use our magic against each other and…” Hanzo closes his eyes, holding back tears. “And I almost killed him… after that fight I knew we had to escape. So, we did. In the night I snuck to where they kept Genji and I killed the guards that were watching him. I then made a portal using my magic and we escaped to here. We have lived here ever since.”

When Hanzo is finished McCree looks down at the cup of tea Hanzo gave him, thinking. Hanzo watches him waiting for any comments or questions he might come up with. He seems to be puzzled by something, his brows knitted tightly as he tries to figure something out, but eventually he stops thinking and looks up at Hanzo. 

“So, why not use magic to escape before then? Like why didn’t your parents try to do that?”

Because the stronger the magic you use or the more you use it the faster it kills you. Hanzo thinks, but does not say. Instead he says “I suppose they though the clan would kill Genji or I. They did have guards on us at all hours of the day.” 

McCree nods, but he doesn’t seem convinced. However, he does not continue with the question and instead asks a different one. “So, you can use your magic to pretty much do whatever you want huh?”

No. “Pretty much.”

“So, then, why use it to help the animals in the forest and to make potions for people?” 

Hanzo takes a moment to choose his words carefully. “I feel guilty for killing innocent people and animals. This is my way of redeeming myself.”

McCree nods in understanding. “I can relate to that.” He then takes a deep breath and looks at Hanzo with a very serious gaze. “Why did you use your magic to save me then? And I mean in every instance because I’m pretty sure you used it to help with my injuries, my nightmares, and my pain.”

Hanzo is caught off guard by the question, especially because the answer that instantly comes to his mind frightens him. Because I care for you a lot more than I thought I ever would anyone and I don’t think I could stand you getting hurt anymore or worse dying. However, he pushes the thought away and decides to go with an answer that isn’t a lie, but isn’t the whole truth either. “You are Genji’s friend and you are mine, and I owe you for giving my brother company and helping him, especially against the clan’s assassins.”

“So those bastards in the forest were part of that clan?”

“They were.” Hanzo answers. “The clan has many assassins at their disposal and they have been searching for us for some time…I’m very sorry you got caught up in…”

“It’s okay darling. I’d rather have been there to help than let those bastards hurt Genji.” The handyman states then moves to another thought. “So, does Genji have magic too?”

Hanzo shakes his head. “No, he lost his magic. I am the only one of us who still has the gift.” He lies. 

McCree nods. He then sighs and takes a sip of his tea before speaking again. “This is a lot to take in, but I am grateful for you telling me… and for helping me with your powers even when it seems to take a lot out of you.”

The handyman then finishes his tea and stands from the table. He then grabs the cup and places it into the sink before walking over to Hanzo. He looks at him with a grateful smile. “It means a lot to me.”

The handyman then leans down and leaves a soft kiss on Hanzo’s cheek. “Thank you.”

McCree then raises up and stretches. “Damn I’m tired. Think I’ll turn in for the night and process all this. Goodnight darling.” He then walks to the guest/potions room without saying another word.

Hanzo sits at the kitchen table stunned with a bright blush on his face. He should have slapped him or pushed him away… at least that’s what makes sense in Hanzo’s head, but his heart is all a flutter and happy and it’s his heart that makes him touch the spot where McCree’s chapped, yet soft lips were on his cheek and smile.


	6. Chapter 6

Darkness is all Hanzo sees. He feels cold and he smells blood and corpses rotting. He hears the wailing of human voices and the whining of animals. He is all alone and kneeling down with hands over his ears, trying to ignore the sounds of despair…sounds he caused in his past. 

All his nightmares begin this way, but every time there are more voices screaming and crying and the smells of death intensify. This nightmare is the worst he’s experienced so far… and it only got worse when he heard familiar voices amongst the screams. 

“My little wolf.” Speaks a gentle voice. 

Hanzo’s eyes widen at the sound of the nickname from his childhood. He hears them so distinctly and clearly even over the screams and the hands over his ears. He looks around trying to distinguish which direction the voice comes from until his gaze lands on a figure standing in front of him. 

She is dressed in white with small blotches of sakura petals on her clothes. Her hair is a mixture of black and gray with strands of white mixed in, and her eyes are dark brown just like his. 

“Mother.” Hanzo says with a whimper in his voice.

“My wolf why didn’t you kill them? Why didn’t you kill that family? You did not know them? Why?” His mother asks, blame in her voice.

The healer does not want to answer but he feels he must reply to his mother. “Because you taught me that all life is important, even the lives of those I do not know.” 

She nods, and for a slight moment she seems proud, but then the expression changes as quick as the snap of a finger to anger. “You never should have listened to me. You should have done as the clan asked. You should have put my life first.”

“No, you don’t…” Hanzo tries to interrupt, but before he can the figure in front of him starts to change. 

She begins to glow indigo, her hair becomes whiter, her skin pales and withers, and her eyes lose life and she looks dead. “You did this to me my wolf. You did this!” She yells furiously.

She then grabs his face making the healer look her in her cold, dead eyes. “I loved you, why didn’t you love me?”

Then before Hanzo could say anything she screams in his face and the healer does not feel it pierce his ears, but his heart and soul. It hurts so much that he clutches at his heart and screams in agonizing pain. 

His mother lets go of his face and starts to walk around him, her screams becoming louder and louder and the pain in Hanzo’s chest becoming worse and worse. 

He waits for his heart to explode, to die, so he can escape this torture, but before he can another voice enters and his mother’s screams stop and the crushing weight on his heart ceases. 

He looks around trying to pinpoint the voice, but he does not find a figure this time. Instead he sees a yellow, glowing door. On it are the words “It’s okay, it’s not your fault, wake up.”

The words can also be heard on the other side of the door and the voice saying them sounds comforting and familiar. Hanzo stares at the door and walks to it cautiously, uncertain whether or not this is another form of torture that his nightmares have created, but as he comes closer to it a feeling of safety and warmth washes over him. When he is a few inches away from the door he hears the voice more clearly. It’s smooth and dark with a slight country accent to it.   
Hanzo knows this voice and as soon as the recognition sets in he smiles slightly and grabs the doorknob. He then turns it with no hesitation.

He opens his eyes, the darkness of the nightmare being replaced with the darkness of his bedroom. It takes him a moment to adjust to reality, but when he does he notices so many details all at once. 

He is raised up on his bed, his covers in the floor and sheets drenched in sweat, and he is wrapped tightly by someone’s arm. He feels the warmth of their chest on his back and he becomes scared. He starts to thrash, yelling. “Let go of me!”

The person behind him immediately releases him. Hanzo then turns around instantly ready to attack, but he stops when he sees McCree’s face. McCree stares at him and has a mixture of worry and fear in his expression rather than his usual, comforting smile. 

Hanzo just stares at his face and he feels pain in his heart for causing him to look that way. He then looks away to try and get rid of the pain in his chest. However, McCree touches his shoulder causing the healer to pause and look back up. 

McCree breathes out as if he had been holding his breath. “Hanzo, are you okay?”

The handyman’s voice sounds so sincerely worried, and this finally breaks Hanzo. He has tried so hard to make everybody think he is okay when he knows he is not and he has kept back so many tears, that now after such a horrifying nightmare all he wants is to cry and let McCree hold him close. So, he does. He lets his tears fall and he leans until his head is on the handyman’s bare chest, and he stays there and cries. 

He expects McCree to push him off but instead he places his arm around him and holds him close whispering comforting words in his ear. 

They stay like this even after Hanzo stops crying. It’s only when Hanzo’s body starts to feel tense that he leaves the comfort of McCree’s embrace. He turns to the handyman, eyes flicking from his gaze to the sheets on his bed. “I am sorry for my behavior. I just…”

The handyman interrupts by grabbing the healer’s hand and squeezing it a bit. “It’s okay Hanzo. You don’t gotta explain anything to me.”

Hanzo looks at him and nods. “Thank you, Jesse.”

McCree smiles softly at him. “No problem darling.” He then stretches his arm before looking back at Hanzo. “Well, is there anything else I can do for you to help?”

Hanzo knows it is best to tell him no and let him leave so he can sleep, but what he wants outweighs what is best and he allows himself to be a little selfish. “Would you be alright staying here with me and talking for a while? Just until I am able to fall asleep again?”

McCree nods. “Of course darling. Whatever you wish.”

Hanzo grins slightly at the handyman’s response before turning and laying down on his lap. He then looks up questioningly at him. “Is this…”

“It’s all good darling.” McCree interrupts. “Like I said, whatever you wish.”

Hanzo nods in reply. He then looks up at McCree and, as if he could read his mind, the handyman takes his hand and starts to run his fingers gently through the healer’s hair. 

Hanzo sighs contentedly and closes his eyes for a moment enjoying the feeling. “Thank you.”

“No problem sweetheart.” The handyman replied. 

The two men then talked for a long time. Some topics serious such as what Hanzo’s nightmare was about and others calming. However, it was when McCree asked about Hanzo’s scars that the healer became very nervous. 

“So, what are they from if you don’t mind me asking?”

Hanzo looked at the scar on his left arm, now spread onto the palm of his hand. He thought about telling McCree the truth for a second, but he remembered his promise to himself that Genji deserved to know first. So he lied for now and said. “I am not sure. I believe the magic has something to do with them, but I don’t know what.”

If the handyman sensed he was lying he didn’t show any signs of it. He just hummed in acknowledgment. “Well, hopefully it ain’t anything too awful.”

Hanzo hums in reply and continues to stare at his hand with a pensive look. It won’t be much longer now. He thinks before moving the conversation in another direction. A direction that didn’t remind him of his impending demise.   
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Hanzo eventually falls asleep, and Jesse stays awake the rest of the night ensuring that no more nightmares invade his mind. Honestly, he doesn’t think he could fall back asleep if he tried anyways after what he saw. 

It was about four or five in the morning when Jesse awoke to the sound of Hanzo yelling. He ran to his room to see if he was okay, and what he saw scared him half to death. Hanzo was lit all a glow around his scars and in his eyes, and he was floating slightly above his mattress, screaming bloody murder. 

Jesse was extremely afraid, but hearing Hanzo in so much pain forced him to take action to try and help. He ran over to the bed and started to speak to Hanzo telling him he was alright and as he continued to say comforting words to him the glowing started to fade and Hanzo eventually landed gently onto the bed, but he was still shaking and crying. So, the handyman decided to lift the healer up and hold him and continue to say comforting words to him until he woke up. As he held him he noticed that the scars on his arm had grown and that his hair had become more white. He examined them as he brushed his fingers through Hanzo’s hair and as he watched him sleep. 

Numerous questions raced through the handyman’s mind and he had a sinking feeling that something bad was happening to Hanzo. What’s worse is that Hanzo was avoiding the issue and lying to Jesse about it even though all he wants to do is help Hanzo in any way he can. So, the handyman decides it is time to seek his own answers. 

When daylight appears through the windows Jesse carefully makes his way out of the bed as not to wake Hanzo. He then heads to the guest room, gets dressed, and goes into the kitchen for a small bite to eat. After he finishes eating, he listens to see if Hanzo has awoken, but he hears no stirring or creaks in the floor. He usually wakes up fairly early, but the nightmare he had last night might have taken more out of him than Jesse anticipated. So, before he leaves he writes a note and places it on the kitchen table letting him know he was heading into town for his appointment with Torb and Brigitte, which wasn’t a lie, but the handyman was also going to be doing more than that. He was going to find answers and the only person who could give him the answers about Hanzo that he was seeking was Genji.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
When he reaches town, Jesse heads directly for Zenyatta’s office since he has time before he needs to meet Torb and Brigitte. However, before he even opens the door Genji walks out of it and bumps into him. 

“Woops sorry si…” Genji starts to say, but when he looks up and sees that it’s Jesse he grins widely. “Hey Jesse. What are you doing here so early?”

“Hey Genj. I’m actually here to talk to you. I also have an appointment with Torb and Brigit.” Jesse explains.

“Oh, you’re getting your arm today?” Genji asks.

“Yeah.” Jesse replies as he scratches his head. The whole idea of the metal arm still makes Jesse sick in his stomach. Not because he would mind having a new arm, but because he didn’t feel he deserved it, but he knew Torb would put it on him one way or another and that Hanzo would probably kill him if he came back without it. 

Genji seems to sense this and pats Jesse’s shoulder. “Hey, it’ll be okay. You know they are always happy to help someone in need, especially when its someone they care about.”

Jesse sighs. “I know, but I still feel like I owe them something.”

Genji nods in understanding. “Well, do what you feel is right, except try to give Torb money. I think he’d kick your ass if you tried that.”

“Yeah.” Jesse agrees. “I don’t doubt it.”

The two them chuckle at the idea. Once the laughs die down Genji smiles at Jesse. “So, what is it you are wanting to talk about?”

Jesse’s smile waivers and he becomes more serious at the question. He isn’t sure how to word his thoughts properly, especially because he has so many questions about what he has learned in the past 24 hours. However, he did know what all his questions centered around so he started there. “I want to talk to you about Hanzo.”

Genji tilts his head, puzzled. “Is everything alright?”

“I’m not sure.” Jesse admits. “I was hoping you could tell me.”

Genji appears worried and slightly confused. “What do you mean?”

Jesse inhales and exhales a long breath before leaning in close to Genji and whispering. “I know Hanzo has magic powers.”

The younger Shimada’s mouth goes slack and opens widely. He seems to be a mixture of emotions and its hard for Jesse to pinpoint one, but if he had to guess which one was overtaking the rest it would be shock and fear. The two stand there, Jesse waiting for Genji to say something, until his friend grabs him by the arm and drags him into Doc’s office. He only speaks to Zenyatta briefly and tells him he needs to borrow one of the rooms to speak with Jesse. Zenyatta agrees, probably because Genji looks deadly serious, and it is only when they are in the room with the door locked does Genji say a word to Jesse.

“When did you find out?” Genji asks, staring intensely.

Genji behavior makes Jesse nervous, but Hanzo had acted very distressed when he saw him use magic. So, Genji reacting in this way isn’t exactly surprising to the handyman. It’s just different from how Genji and him usually are around each other. Regardless of his nerves, though, Jesse tells his friend everything he wants to know. “I found out yesterday when we were heading back to the forest. Two hunters tried to kill us for saving a fox and Hanzo…Hanzo saved my life by stopping one of their bullets.”

Genji nods. He then leans back against a wall, still nervous, but at least in a more relaxed position. “What has he told you about his power?”

Jesse shrugs. “The basics I suppose. He told me that magics been in your family for generations, that some bastards forced your family to serve them for years, that your parents died because of them, that you two escaped, that you don’t have magic anymore, and that the guys who attacked us were after you and Hanzo.”

Genji takes all of what Jesse tells him into deep consideration and he starts to think hard, Jesse can tell because his brows tend to knit closer together when his friend is in deep thought. Hanzo does the same thing. 

Eventually, Genji does something that Jesse does not expect. He starts to take off his shirt.

“Woah, Genj, what are you…” Jesse starts to ask, but he loses his words when he sees the huge scar across Genji’s chest. Jesse had seen flashes of the scar sometimes in the summer when Genji wore tanks, but he never knew the extent to which it spread across his body. Now that he was seeing all of it in its entirety he was very scared and mad. Scared because he had no idea what happened to his friend to cause him to have such a huge scar across his chest and mad because he wanted to punch the people who had done this to him. “Genji what…”

“Did he tell you about our scars?” Genji asks, his tone dark.

Jesse shakes his head. “Not really. He said he didn’t know why he had them… but I didn’t think he was telling the truth.”

Genji sighs deeply then sits down on the examining table in the room. He then looks down at his chest and touches the part of the scar that passes over his heart. “Our magic was placed upon us by an ancient contract made by one of our ancestors. We are not sure why he made the contract, but what we do know is that the scars on our bodies grow, and they grow quicker if we use magic, and… once the scars reach our hearts… we…” Genji pauses and he looks so scared, but he continues. “We die and our life force goes to the creatures in charge of the contract.” 

Jesse is stunned and his legs give away under him and force him to slump into a chair. He stares at the floor thinking about Hanzo and how far his scars are, and realizes so many things at once. The two most important revelations being Hanzo used a lot of magic saving him, and he was going to die because of it.

He looks up at Genji, his eyes begging. “Is there anyway to stop it? I mean the scar on your chest is past your heart and your still here? So, is there any way to…”

Genji shakes his head. “I’m afraid not. I’m not sure why, but the creatures set me free from the contract and allowed me to live. It is only if they allow or by destroying the contract that the curse can be lifted.”

Jesse slumps, defeated and he feels tears well in his eyes. “So, Hanzo’s going to die?”

Genji nods his head solemnly, but then he grins very slightly, a tinge of hopefulness in his eyes. “But he still has a few years left of life. Granted, helping you has taken off sometime, but judging by the spreading of his scars and his hair he should have a few years left.”

Jesse nods, but something doesn’t sit right with him. He looks at Genji and the scar on his chest. He then thinks about the scar on Hanzo’s arm and the scar he saw glowing underneath his pants. Both scars have spread a whole lot; the one on his leg now close to his torso and the one on his arm close to his shoulder. “Genji, I don’t think he has that much time left.”

Genji frowns. “What do you mean?”

“How long has it been since you’ve seen Hanzo’s scars for yourself?” Jesse asks.

Genji thinks for a moment. “It’s been a long time. I very rarely get to view them mostly because Hanoz does not want me to worry and remember the bad times. Plus the topic of him dying is not something either of us wants to bring up.”

Jesse nods in understanding. “I see. Are there any signs that the scars are getting close to the heart?”

“Hmmm.” The assistant ponders. “Well… when my father was getting close to death his hair became almost white as snow and he started to have horrible nightmares.   
The nightmares would start forcing him to use magic while he slept, so Hanzo and I did our best to stay with him through the night and wake him when we noticed he was having a nightmare.”

Jesse’s eyes widen and he becomes a mixture of worried and mad. The handyman then stands up and starts walking to the door, but Genji stands in front of him. “Jess what’s going on?”

“Hanzo’s been lying to you Genji. He’s dying quicker than he’s letting on.” Jesse states.

Genji looks troubled and angry all at once and he starts to head out the door himself. Jesse follows him and the two of them grab a horse and head into the forest to go see Hanzo.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Hanzo has been up for a few hours now. He is currently sitting at the kitchen table drinking some tea and watching the birds eat from their feeders through the window. This morning would be considered peaceful if it wasn’t for the dread that Hanzo felt deep in his heart. After carefully examining his scars this morning he only has a matter of months of life left before the dragons come to devour his soul and the rest of him whole. It was time to get his affairs in order and that meant he needed to tell Genji the truth. He just wasn’t sure how to go about it. So, he sat and thought about it hoping he’d find an answer somewhere in his mind or in the forest as he watched the sparrows eat.

However, his thoughts were quickly interrupted when he heard the sound of horses trotting outside his home. He stood and looked out the window to see who had approached his home. He hoped it wasn’t those two hunters. If it was he’d make sure they never stepped out of the woods again, but when he looked out the window he suddenly wished the hunters had come instead of the two individuals who were outside. 

Outside the window he saw McCree and Genji tying their horses to a post Hanzo had placed near his house for when Genji visited. He hoped McCree had invited his brother here for a social visit, but considering the mad expression on Genji’s face and the fact that McCree didn’t have his new arm, meaning he missed his appointment, made the healer believe they were there for something more serious. This caused Hanzo to start panicking mentally and his mind was a swarm of fear and guilt… but he had to try and stay calm. This would not be easy and it would be best for him to keep a level head so he could tell Genji the truth. He just wished he had more time to prepare.

Hanzo hears harsh knocks on his door and Genji yelling. “Brother let us in!”

The healer walks over to the door and takes the deepest breath of his life before exhaling and opening it. As soon as the door is open Genji pushes into the house and grabs Hanzo by the shirt. “Show me your scars!”

Hanzo tries to weasel his way out one last time. “Genji, I do not think…”

“Hanzo!” Genji barks. “Show me.”

The older Shimada sighs and unbuttons his shirt slowly, trying to delay the inevitable for as long as possible. Once he finishes unbuttoning it he lets the shirt fall to the ground and looks at his brother with as neutral an expression as he can muster. 

He sees Genji’s eyes widen and his face becomes consumed by shock and fear as he examines the scar along his left arm. It has for the most part completely covered his arm and now rests on his shoulder close to his neck. 

Hanzo hears a gasp from behind Genji and he looks to find McCree also staring, his eyes filled with horror. He is the first to break the silence. “Hanzo… its grown since last night. Has the one on your leg…”

“Yes.” Hanzo replies. “It is now covering most of my leg and is steadily creeping up my right side.” The healer then turns to allow his brother and McCree to see the indigo scar moving up his torso. 

Genji’s expression becomes horrified and McCree has to look away as soon as he sees the site. Hanzo hated for the two people closest to him to feel so frightened by his condition, but they deserved to know, especially now that he only has a few months left to live. 

Genji stares for a long time and Hanzo can see him trying to calculate how long he has left to live. He tries to ask, but Hanzo interrupts with the answer ready. “I only have 3 or 4 months left… and that’s if I don’t use any…”

The healer is stopped from finishing his statement by a hard punch to the face by his brother. The force behind it causes Hanzo to stumble, but he manages to regain his balance. He then looks to his brother and sees anger and sadness written all over him. “Why didn’t you tell me! I thought you would live for so much longer. We even calculated it over and over after we settled here. Even using small amounts of magic you should live to at least to 55. How are you dying so quickly! How long have you been lying!”

The older Shimada takes a moment to ground himself. He then looks his brother directly in the eyes to ensure he does not cheat him out of any answers. “I have been lying ever since we left the clan.”

Genji is caught off guard by the answer, his mouth opening slightly. “What?”

Hanzo continues. “ I lied to protect you from the guilt I knew you would feel when I told you what I had done. I thought with time you might be able to take it better, but it seems I was a fool for thinking so.”

“What are you…” Genji starts, but then a realization hits him “The dragons didn’t just let me live did they?”

Hanzo shakes his head. “No. The night I thought you were about to die I took the contract from the hiding place our parents hid it and I made a deal with them. If they would allow you to live I would give them more than just my life force. I would give them my body and soul. Along with this, they told me I would have to die faster so that they could feast on every part of me while it was still fresh. I agreed to these terms and they reformed the contract. After this, your name disappeared from it and you were left to live.”

Genji stares at Hanzo for a spilt second before charging at him in full fury and pushing him up against a wall. He looks like he is ready to punch him again and Hanzo expects him to, but instead he starts to sob. “How could you do that…why would you…”

“Because,” Hanzo’s eyes soften as he looks at his younger brother. “You are my brother. How could I possibly let you die.”

It is at this point that Genji allows himself to break down and cry into his brother’s chest. Hanzo places his arms around him to comfort him. “I am sorry, Genji. I should have told you sooner.”

Genji does not move and continues sobbing. “It isn’t fair. Why are we being punished like this? Why do you have to die?” He says, his cries choking his words.

Hanzo has no reply to his brother’s words. There is nothing he can say to make things better. 

“He doesn’t have to.” 

Hanzo and Genji release from their hug and look to McCree confusedly. The handyman looks at them with determination, fists clenched tight, and not a sign of a smile on his face. “We’ll find a way to save him.”

“But how?” Genji asks, doubt in his voice. 

“All we have to do is tear up the contract right?” McCree questions.

Hanzo nods, but does so with a grim expression. “Yes, but it is not that simple. A magical seal is placed on the contract and we do not know how to break it. We have tried everything.”

McCree huffs, but his determined gaze does not falter. “Well, I ain’t tried everything and I’m willing to give this a shot.”  
Hanzo looks at the handyman in frustration. “And what makes you believe you can break the seal? What makes you so powerful and so sure you can do it?”

The handyman walks closer to the two brothers, his gaze locked on Hanzo. When he is only a few feet away from him his gaze softens slightly and he exhales. “Because I can’t let you die.”

McCree looks at him desperately and Hanzo knows. He can see it in the way he looks at him with those beautiful brown eyes. He knows that somehow McCree has managed to fall for him and there is no way he can fix this. The worst part is that in his heart he knows too, that he also has fallen and it hurts him so much because he can’t stand the thought of dying and leaving this wonderful person to grieve him. The thought lingers and drives him mad and he can’t stand to stare into McCree’s eyes anymore. So, he pushes past him and makes his way outside.

In the forest, Hanzo walks hoping his brother and the handyman have the sense to leave him alone, but as he tries to get away he hears footsteps close behind him. He knows it’s McCree just because he is the only one dumb enough to follow an unstable, magical human out into the woods when he wants to be left alone and could kill him. He does it because he wants to help. Hanzo knows this. It’s one of the reasons he likes McCree so much. He also knows that McCree will not stop following him unless Hanzo harms him physically or uses his magic. He is stubborn in his pursuits and that is another reason the healer likes him, even though it can be very annoying at times such as now. 

So, the healer decides his best option is to just face him. He stops abruptly and turns to look at the handyman, his annoyance and agitation clear on his face. “Stop following me.”

“No.” McCree replies, his expression soft but stern.

“Why?” Hanzo asks.

“You know why, Hanzo.” The handyman then sighs. “But if you don’t feel the same its fine… but I do need to know something.”

Hanzo just stares sternly at him waiting for him to asks his question.

The handyman takes a moment to catch his breathe. He then concentrates on Hanzo intensely. “Why did you save me?”

Hanzo feels his heart twitch, but he does not show any signs of panic. “We have already been over this.”

The handyman lets out an annoyed huff. “Sure, but I know there’s more to it than that. You hesitated too much when you replied the first time. Plus you are dying because of what you did for me and I just don’t get why you would waste your life on me. So why?”

Hanzo looks away from McCree refusing to answer. The honest answer would just hurt him more in the long run anyway.

However, McCree seemed determined and he walked over to Hanzo and grabbed his shoulders tightly. “Hanzo why!”

“Jesse!” Hanzo yells. “Just drop it. It isn’t important.”

“It’s important to me!” The handyman barks back. “And I think it’s important to you too. You just won’t admit it and I don’t know why. But I’m tired of not knowing what bothers you and why your always trying to push me out when I know you want me around. So why!”

“You want to know what bothers me!” Hanzo snaps and pushes McCree off him. “What bothers me is you. You are kind to me and want to help me even when I frustrate you and lie to you. You help me take care of the animals even when I did not ask you to help me. You smile at me genuinely and you want to figure out more about me, even the dark things. And even though you know I am dying you are still here trying to help me in anyway you can. You are such a wonderful person and you are wasting yourself, your time, your love on a dying man when you could be with anyone else and I love you for it and hate you all at the same time because…” Hanzo begins to break at this point and tears start to roll down his eyes. “Because you deserve so much more than a dying man’s love.”

When Hanzo finishes he feels a weight lift off his heart, and an even heavier one crash into it. Because now McCree knows and he can choose to do whatever he wishes with what Hanzo has now told him.

The handyman stands completely still in front of him as Hanzo waits for his reply. He then slowly walks over to Hanzo. He places his hand on the healer’s tear stained cheek and he seems to have figured out his answer from what Hanzo told him. The first time when Hanzo saved him was because he liked him, and the second was because he loved him. 

McCree rubs his thumb gently over his cheek. He smiles softly and his eyes begin to tear up. “Hanzo, it’s not your fault you’re dying and you deserve so much more than to be in this hellish situation, but just because your in this situation doesn’t mean I don’t want your love, and I’m not wasting my heart on you because there is no one else like Hanzo Shimada in the whole world, and I’d rather be in love with him for as long as I can than live a lifetime without ever being with him.”

Hanzo can’t help himself after that. He reaches his hands up to McCree’s face and kisses him. Their mouths bump into each other hard and it isn’t the perfect kiss, but its desperate and loving and coveys to McCree what he means to Hanzo. The handyman is surprised, but only stays stunned for a moment before kissing back with just as much desperation and love.


	7. Chapter 7

When they return to Hanzo’s home, Jesse and Hanzo both apologize to Genji for leaving him alone and the healer apologizes again for lying to him. Genji tells them that it was all okay and he apologizes as well for punching Hanzo in the face. The healer shrugs and quips about how it was well deserved and probably a little late. This gets a chuckle out of his brother. Once the three men have finished their apologies they settle down on the couch and chairs in Hanzo’s living space then begin to discuss ways to save Hanzo from the curse. 

“So,” Jesse begins, “the only way to save Hanzo is to destroy the contract right?”

Genji nods. “Yes, but it is enchanted with a seal that we haven’t figured out how to remove.”

“Okay, well, do you have any clues?” Jesse asks.

Hanzo and Genji look to each other before Hanzo looks at him and nods slightly. “We have a small clue, but we are not sure what exactly it means.”

“That’s a start.” Jesse states hopefully. “Can I see the clue?”

“Yes.” Hanzo says as he stands up and walks into the guest room. When he returns he is holding what looks like a potion bottle. Within it is a bright yellow liquid.   
Jesse looks at him confused. “Is that the clue?”

“No, it is the safety precaution for the clue and the contract. Give me a moment.” The healer then proceeds into the kitchen. 

While he is away Genji begins explaining what Hanzo means. “After we escaped we tried to figure out a way to ensure no one could get their hands on the contract or the clue so that no one could try to alter it or use it against us. It took a while to figure out the best hiding spot. Then one day Hanzo thought to hide it amongst his elixirs by creating a magical liquid that would conceal the items until it is consumed.”

“That seems neat, but what if someone figured it out and just drank the potion?” The handyman questioned.

“Then they would die.” Hanzo states as he walks back into the room. The liquid within the bottle is now orange and Hanzo’s finger has a small bandage around it.   
“This elixir can only be consumed by a Shimada and they have to add their blood to the mixture before drinking it so that the poison within it is negated.”

Jesse whistles in awe. “Damn, that’s impressive darling.”

“Thank you.” Hanzo replies with a nod and a proud smile before drinking the liquid within the bottle. It only takes him a few minutes to drink all of the elixir and as the liquid disappears Jesse can see a small, rolled up piece of paper. When the liquid is completely gone Hanzo turns the bottle upside-down and taps on it until the paper falls out into his hand. He then sets the bottle and the paper on the table between the couch and chairs in front of Jesse. 

Jesse looks at the paper, nervous to unroll it. It would make the fact that Hanzo is dying of some weird and awful curse even more real, but he had to examine the document if he was to save Hanzo’s life. So, carefully, Jesse picks up the paper and unrolls it. Within the role is a smaller sheet of paper with a small stanza written on it, and the paper he was unrolling was the contract itself. 

Jesse placed the smaller paper on the table before examining the contract in his hands. The parchment looked extremely old with brown wrinkles and stains on it. At the bottom there were names on it written in ink and many of them were crossed out with what looks like blood. It was a horrible thing to look at and what was even more frightening was the name at the very bottom of the document, not crossed out, but getting there slowly. 

Seeing Hanzo’s name at the bottom hurt Jesse’s heart and he wanted to rip up the contract right then and there, but when he tried the paper would not bend. It just kept it’s shape no matter what Jesse tried to do. “Damnit. It really is sealed.”

Hanzo and Genji look at him grimly. “We’ve tried everything.” Genji begins to explain. “We tried potions, fire, swords, saws, but nothing can alter the paper.”

Jesse sighs feeling defeated until he looks at the small paper he had placed on the table. He reaches and picks it up analyzing the small stanza on it. “Well, I can’t make any sense of this. It’s written in Japanese.”

“Here,” Genji states as he takes the paper and translates the stanza for his friend. 

“Emotions Around have caused you to be Bound  
Until the Emotions are Stronger than the Power  
The Spirits will Consume you until your last Hour  
So Let them Flow and do not force them to Grow  
Otherwise Death will be all you Know”

“Huh, that doesn’t really make much sense?” Jesse admits.

Genji nods in agreement. “Yeah, but we do figure that breaking the seal has to do with feeling emotions, and considering that this is magic we are talking about I would suppose strong emotions like hate or love.”

“But,” Hanzo interjects. “We cannot be certain on what emotions it means or how feeling strong emotions can help us break the seal.”  
Jesse thinks on this for a moment. “Well, we could try looking in some books of poetry or talking to an expert on poems.”

“We have tried.” Hanzo states hopelessly. “None of the books we have read have told us anything, and the experts have so many different interpretations that we have no idea which to trust.” 

“Did you ever tell the experts about the…”

“Of course not.” Hanzo interrupts bluntly. “We cannot just tell people about the curse.”

Jesse holds his hands up defensively. “Alright. Perfectly understandable, but maybe context could help an expert to figure it out?”

Hanzo shrugs. “Possibly, but we do not know many expert poets, especially in this town.”

“True, but we do know someone who has been around the world a bit and could help us.”

“And who might that…” Hanzo begins to ask, but the answer comes to him before he has to finish the question. 

The answer comes to Genji too and he smiles. “Zenyatta did make many travels before settling here. He could help us.” The younger Shimada looks at his brother beseechingly. 

Hanzo looks at him and Jesse, he then looks to the ground in deep thought. Jesse can tell he is unsure because his eyebrows are knit tight and he usually looks away from people when he is in doubt. The handyman had picked up on a few of Hanzo’s tells during his stay here. 

The three men waited in silence until the healer finally looked to his brother with a serious expression. “Are you sure he can be trusted with this?”

Genji nods. “He already knows you have a condition, he just doesn’t know the finer details of the situation, but once he knows I think he might be able to help and I know he is very strict when it comes to patient confidentiality.”

“Alright then.” Hanzo concedes. “We shall go and visit him tomorrow, but” The healer pauses and looks to Jesse with a hard stare, “only after you get your arm.”

Jesse hadn’t given much thought to his appointment until Hanzo reminded him. His eyes widened as he remembers and he slapps his forward. “Damnit. I completely forgot about that. Torb’s gonna kick my ass.”

“It’s alright Jess.” Genji consoles. “Torbjorn will understand.”

Jesse sighs. “I don’t know about that. Remember the time I got so caught up in talking to you and Lucio that I was late for lessons with him.”

“Oh yeah,” Genji says with a slight laugh. “He hit you so hard on the head that you had migraines for a week.”

“Yeah, and no amount of drinking could get rid of them either.” Jesse replies as he leans back into the chair he is sitting in. 

As he sits back he start to tell another story about how Torb got onto him for not screwing in a hinge tight enough for his door and this leads to him and Genji reminiscing about their numerous adventures. Hanzo even joins in on the conversation from time to time, mostly to tell them how big of idiots they were, but it was nice to see him relax and smile even though the events of earlier that day had been rough as hell. Jesse was happy that their stories were helping the brothers relax after a harsh time. It was even helping the handyman himself to relax.

The three of them stayed like this for a long time. Just talking and eating once dinner time rolled around. It was good to relax and enjoy each other’s company at least for a while. Tomorrow they could worry more about Hanzo dying, but for the rest of that day they all just took a well needed breather.   
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
As the sky became dark Hanzo felt less stressed about his condition than he had in a long time. It still scared him, but it felt relieving to have everything out in the open with the two people he most cared for. However, he still worried about how Jesse would be when he… no. He shouldn’t think about that right now. Right now it was time to get some rest for the day ahead. They all would need it if they were going to figure out how to get rid of this curse once and for all, at least he hoped they could. Hanzo doubted it and he was very pessimistic about their chances, but seeing McCree’s determination and the hope he has given Genji makes him feel a small bit of hope too. 

The sleeping arrangements were decided promptly by Genji as he was the first of the three to get up. He did so with a yawn and a stretch. “Well, I’m going to go lay down in the guest room. You two have fun and try not to do anything too loud.” He finishes with a wink before promptly heading to the guest room.

Hanzo sighs annoyingly and blushes against his will. “Bastard.”

McCree chuckles. “Yeah.” The handyman then looks at Hanzo with a soft smile.

Hanzo looks at him accusingly. “What?”

“Nothing.” McCree shrugs. “You just look really cute when you're flustered.”

Hanzo rolls his eyes, but his blush grows deeper. He then stands up from where he was sitting and walks over to McCree. Without asking, he sits down in the handyman’s lap with a sly smirk. “I do not look cute, but you however look very adorable when you are flustered.” As he says this he sees a blush start to bloom in McCree’s cheeks and he feels proud of himself. 

“You sly bastard.” McCree says, his blush still growing. 

“You like it.” Hanzo quips.

McCree’s smile brightens. “Yeah. Yeah I do.”

The handyman then reaches behind Hanzo’s neck and pulls him into a kiss. Hanzo gladly leans into it and for the first time he is not afraid of being in love with McCree. He is happy to be in love with him and that he loves him in return, and he expresses this in a deep, passionate kiss against the handyman’s chapped lips. He kisses him slowly at first, but then as he feels McCree’s tongue creep out slightly and brush against his lips he starts to move more hastily and grabs the scruffy man’s face to pull him closer and allow the kiss to become deeper. 

McCree sighs contentedly at the action and as they kiss Hanzo begins to brush his hands through the handyman’s beard. He then drags them down his chest and finally stops his searching when he finds McCree’s hand. He grasps it in his own and then pulls his lips away to look at McCree. He then looks to his arm and the hand he holds and then to the place where the other arm and hand should be, but are not. His expression becomes solemn and sorrowful. “I am so sorry you had to get caught up in all this. If you hadn’t you would still have your arm.”

McCree looks to where his left arm used to be. He then shrugs and looks to Hanzo. “It’s alright darling. It ain’t your fault.”

“But it is. They were after me, not you. You just happened to be there at the time they came for Genji and I.” Hanzo states. “If you had not been there you would have been spared of the torture of losing your arm and getting hurt, and now you will get hurt again because of me.”

It only takes McCree a small moment to realize what he means, and when he does he takes his hand out of Hanzo’s grip and moves it to his face. He then makes Hanzo look at his intense gaze. “Hanzo, I told you, I would rather be here with you than to have never have met you and if that means I have to get hurt then so be it.”

“But Jesse you shouldn’t have to get hurt.” Hanzo states sadly.

“You shouldn’t have to be hurt either.” Jesse replies. He then sighs. “But some force seems to be making things that way for us. However, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you don’t have to hurt anymore.” 

Hanzo smiles slightly at the sentiment. “And I shall do the same for you as long as I can.”

McCree smiles. “Thank you, but I think you’ve kept me from hurting a lot lately. It’s my turn and I’ll start by making sure you have a good night’s sleep.”

Hanzo snickers. “That would be nice.”

“Then come on darling.” McCree says, and before Hanzo can refuse, the handyman somehow lifts him over his right shoulder and carries him to his room. Hanzo tries to be mad, but his chuckles as he criticizes McCree for doing this show that he doesn’t mind this at all.   
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Jesse is not sure what time it is when he awakes to the sound of Hanzo crying out in his sleep, but as soon as he hears him in distress he is quick to act. He first ensures that the healer is not glowing around his scars or eyes. When he figures out that he isn’t the handyman releases a breathe he hadn’t realized he was holding.  
After this, Jesse proceeds to place his arm around Hanzo and hold him tight. He whispers softly in his ears trying to bring him out of his nightmares. “Hanzo, darling, it’s alright. Everything is fine.”

“No…” the healer replies in his dream-like state.

“Yes, sweetheart. You’re fine. I’m here for you. You’re safe.”

Hanzo stills, and Jesse begins to think that maybe his nightmare is over, but then he frowns and starts to yell. “No! He’s not a part of this!”

“Hanzo…” Jesse starts, but before he can finish Hanzo raises up quickly and faces him. He opens his eyes and what Jesse sees scares him. Hanzo’s eyes are not his, and not in a they are glowing kind of sense, but they are literally not his own. The eyes are a piercing yellow and the pupils are diamond shaped like a lizards. 

Jesse tries to speak but before he can Hanzo pins him down onto the mattress with one arm and grabs his throat tightly with his hand. The healer then leans down close to Jesse’s face. “You will not take our feast away from us!” Hanzo states, but the voice is not his. It is a mixture of two voices, one very deep and the other eerily high pitched. The voice hisses and snarls at Jesse. “He is ours and we will not let you free him.”

Jesse is scared out of his mind and he tries to move, but Hanzo, Hanzo’s body, has him pinned down so hard that Jesse can only make very minute movements. So, his best course of action is to try and get to Hanzo. “Hanzo! Darling it’s Jesse. Please stop!”

Hanzo tightens his grip around his neck. “Hanzo is not here. We are here and we are going to kill you and then kill Hanzo and eat his body and soul!”

The handyman becomes angry at this and strangles out a reply to let them know how he feels. “Fuck you! I will not let that happen!”

“Oh but you will Jesse McCree. You will let us because you will be dead.” 

Jesse then feels Hanzo’s hand grip his throat tightly and he begins to choke. He looks up at Hanzo and he does his best to get through to the man being controlled by these voices. He looks at him with loving eyes hoping he sees. 

Hanzo’s body twitches a bit at the look and the grip around Jesse’s throat loosens enough for him to speak. “Hanzo. Sweetheart I know you’re there. Please come back to me.” He speaks softly, not in fear or fury, but with admiration and care. Hanzo’s body reacts to this and it lets go of Jesse’s throat.

“What! No!” The voice says. 

Jesse doesn’t stop. He keeps speaking to Hanzo with all the love and care he has for him. “That’s it darling. Nothing to be scared of. You’re not alone. I’m right here.”

“No! Stop it!” The voices shout as Hanzo releases Jesse’s arm and raises up off of him. “No! You vile wretch! He will still die! He will be our…”  
Hanzo’s eyes close, and when he opens them again they are his. They are his beautiful deep brown, and Jesse is overjoyed to see them. “Hanzo.”

The healer looks to Jesse and then moves close to him and hugs him. “Jesse. Oh God, Jesse I’m… that’s never happened before.”  
Jesse rubs his back soothingly. “It’s okay darling. I’m alright. Just a little hoarse is all. Should probably drink some water.”

Hanzo releases Jesse from his embrace. “I will go get you some.” 

However, before Hanzo gets up there is a knock at the front door. The knocking is repetitive and harsh meaning whoever is outside needs to see them urgently. Jesse looks out the window in Hanzo’s room to try and guess the time, but Hanzo grabs a small watch from the nightstand and gives him the exact time before he can make a guess. “5:45 in the morning?”

Jesse is surprised, but there is only one person he knows who would be up this early, and if she was showing up here at this time it wasn’t good news. The handyman quickly got out of the bed ,not bothering to grab a shirt, and headed for the door. Hanzo followed suit and when they got to the door and opened it Fareeha was standing there. She looked as if she hadn’t been asleep for a while and her expression was a mixture of serious and fearful. 

“Fareeha, what’s wrong?” Jesse asked, not wanting to waste any time, especially if someone was in trouble. 

“It’s you, Jesse. You and Lucio and Dr. Zen and…” 

“Slow down there Faree.” Jesse says as he places his hand on her shoulder to steady her. She sounds panicked and this worries Jesse. Fareeha is only panicked when lives are at stake. 

The sheriff takes a deep breath. “People in town had their lives and their families lives threatened in the middle of the night. Arrows were shot at their doors with threatening messages attached to them and they were…” She pauses and looks from Jesse to Hanzo and then at both of them. “They were written in blood and they were in Japanese.”

Jesse’s heart stops. He knows what this has to be, who has to be behind this, and if he is right that would mean trouble for Hanzo and Genji. 

He is afraid to ask what the message said or if she had been able to translate it yet. However, he doesn’t get the chance to. Hanzo does it for him. “What did the message say?”

Fareeha looks at him, her stare grave. “Zenyatta translated it as best he could with a book he had. Apparently all the messages read the same except for Jesse’s.”

“And what do they all say?” Hanzo asks, anger rising in his voice. 

Fareeha takes a moment to brace herself. “They all say that if the Shimada brothers do not bring the contract to them and give themselves up to us at sundown today you shall die… Jesse’s…” Fareeha inhales sharply, but continues. “Jesse’s says you shall die first.”  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The events of the morning created stress and dread within everyone, especially Hanzo and Genji. Jesse could see the anger and fear seething off both of them. The anger was directed toward the clan and the fear towards their friends. They didn’t want to lose them and Jesse knew they would give themselves up. It was what he would do too if he was in the same situation. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to fight them and tell them hell no. However, they had made up their minds to do so and they planned to tell those who received arrows the same news and give them an explanation as to why they were being targeted. Genji figured that they owed them that much. 

So, after getting dressed, they all headed to town and Fareeha went around gathering everyone so that Hanzo and Genji could explain the situation to them. She started at Zenyatta’s office and retrieved Lucio and Zenyatta. She then went to Torb’s home and retrieved him and Brigitte. His wife stayed home with his younger children to watch after them and protect them incase the people who threatened them showed up early. The last two people they needed were Fareeha and Ana and the former was already at the house waiting on them.

They all met at the Amari’s house since Ana had the biggest house in town. She had always told people her house was big so that she could allow all weary and the hungry souls into her home and give them a place to rest and eat. Today, however, the house would be filled with restless and frightened souls.   
Once everyone was situated in the living room Hanzo and Genji stood up in front of everybody. Jesse sat with everyone else, the brothers deciding that this was something they had to do themselves. 

Genji spoke first since most of the people in the room were closer to him. “Hello everyone. I am so sorry that we are all meeting here under these circumstances, but my brother and I feel that you all deserve to know what is going on.” Genji sighs heavily. “Ever since we arrived in this town we have been afraid that we would be found by the people we escaped from, but they never showed up until a few months ago when Jesse and I were attacked.”  
The small crowd starts to murmur a bit, but no one sounds hateful towards Genji. They all just sound rather curious and scared to Jesse, and that’s understandable considering everything, but they haven’t even gotten into the worst of it yet. 

Hanzo takes over the conversation next. “The people who we escaped from was a clan run by brutal elders who sought power for themselves and destruction for those who defy them. For generations our family was forced to serve them in anyway they wished until we died and most times the deaths were not pleasant. Genji and I managed to escape from them, but now they have found us.” The healer inhales deeply. “The clan’s tactics are ruthless and their assassins are willing to do whatever it takes to complete their mission. They will kill anyone who stands in their way and we do not want this fate to fall upon all of you.”

As Hanzo says this his eyes instantly lock with Jesse’s and the handyman can’t help but feel mad at him for their decision. They had fought over it as they were getting dressed, and Jesse tried everything to get Hanzo to not give himself up. However, both brothers were resolute in their decisions, and Hanzo was very adamant that he would rather give himself up and die with the clan than see anymore people get hurt. 

“Therefore,” Genji continued, “we are going to give ourselves up to them. That way…”

“Hell no!” Torbjorn interrupted. 

Hanzo and Genji looked up at the crowd, and Jesse started to look at the faces in the room, and what he saw put a smile on his face. They were all staring the two brothers down sternly. 

“We are not just going to let you two boys give yourselves up for us.” Ana states. “You both are too important to this town and to us for us to just let you go.”

Genji seems puzzled by this and Hanzo is extremely confused. The younger sibling tries to speak their case again. “But if we don’t leave your families…”

“Will be just fine.” Fareeha interrupts. “Because we are going to help you guys fight them.”

Hanzo crosses his arms, his expression still baffled. “You will? Even after what I told you?”

“Of course.” Fareeha replies. “You two are citizens of this town and as Sheriff it is my job to take care of you both and protect you from harm. That includes taking on the assassins of some evil clan.”

Genji looks at all of them. He then looks to Hanzo and he seems to be pleading with him about something. Jesse has a guess about what it is. Before leaving to come here the two of them had discussed to what extent they should tell the truth. Hanzo decided it was best to not say anything about his condition, but Genji believed they deserved to know the whole truth. Now that they see that these people are willing to risk their lives for them, Genji probably thinks Hanzo will change his mind, and miraculously he does. 

Hanzo lets out an exasperated sigh. “Very well, but before you all make this decision it is only fair you understand the whole truth.” The healer then rolls up the sleeves covering his left arm and reveals the indigo scar underneath it. 

Everyone stares at it in wonder and a few awes go around, but Jesse just feels sick looking at it, but he keeps his gaze on Hanzo as he explains it. “For generations, our family has been under a curse that gave us magical powers and scars that expand across our bodies. The more we use these powers the farther and faster the scars expand. When the scars reach your chest…” Hanzo pauses here and Jesse can see the small hint of dread and fear in his eyes. “When they reach your heart, you die.” 

The room becomes filled with gasps and pained expressions as the room stares at Hanzo and realizes what he is saying to them. He is telling them he is already a dead man and he will soon be dead regardless of the situation.

Lucio is the only one to ask the affirming question. “So, that means you and Genji are going to die?”

“No.” Hanzo replies. “Thankfully, Genji is no longer under the curse. He will be fine.”  
Jesse knows Lucio hates himself for the small bit of relief he expresses when he glances at Genji, mostly because he doesn’t want to show Hanzo that he doesn’t care for him, but Jesse doesn’t worry too much. He knows Hanzo is happy for his brother and glad he is free of the pain he is going through just as much. 

“So then,” Brigitte starts, “what can we do to make sure you do not die?”

“The curse can only be lifted if this contract is destroyed.” Hanzo replies as he grabs the contract from the small bag around his waist. He shows it to the people in the room for a brief moment before continuing his explanation. “It has a magic seal on it that keeps the paper from being altered in anyway making it indestructible.” 

The healer then returns the contract back to the bag he retrieved it from. “However, it is not our primary concern. Right now the issue of the threats still stands and whether or not you all still want to get involved after learning the whole truth.”

“Of course we are still getting involved.” Torb states firmly. 

Zenyatta hums in agreement. “Besides, I cannot help improve your condition if you are taken away by this clan. You and Genji are also dear friends of mine I cannot allow those of vile intent to harm you both.”

The two brothers are touched by the Doc’s sentiment and when Jesse scans the room he sees the same feelings being expressed by everyone there. It causes the handyman’s heart to fill up with warmth and makes him even more grateful to have made this town his home. He then looks at the two brothers and expresses the   
same sentiment to them that his friends were. 

The brothers look at the crowd of people. Genji smiles at them, but Hanzo just stares in disbelief. “You are all sure of this aren’t you.”

They all express their acknowledgments from head nods and speaking in the affirmative. 

Hanzo sighs then smiles gratefully to them. “Thank you all.” He then straightens himself and hardens his expression. “I guess we should start preparations then.”  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The plan they come up with is simple. Hanzo and Genji meet the assassins at the outskirts of town close to the forest. When the assassins arrive the brothers will act as though they are handing themselves over and ensure that all the assassins that have been sent for them reveal themselves. Once all the assassins are revealed the brothers will shout a signal word that tells everyone who is hiding in the forest to start shooting. Hopefully, between Sheriff Amari, her mother, McCree, and Torb many of the assassins will fall before they reach the forest, but just in case they do Brigitte and Torb have provided everyone with hand weapons to defend themselves with. 

Lucio, Zenyatta, and Brigitte have the least fighting experience so they have been assigned to stay back father behind the line and only assist when someone is injured. Zenyatta and Lucio accept this responsibility, but Brigitte takes some convincing from her father and McCree before she agrees to the task.   
The plan is more or less solid and after a few hours of gathering guns, knives, hammers, and potions and bandages they are as ready as they are going to be for the assault. They all wait in and around Hanzo’s home trying to stay calm. The healer himself is a little ways away from his home in the forest speaking to Maki. 

“I know you wish to help, but I need you to keep the animals away from the fighting so they are not hurt.” He tells her as he pets her head softly, leaning down close to her. 

The wolf whines and her eyes are filled with worry. 

Hanzo smiles thoughtfully at her. “I know this situation is not ideal, but everything will be fine.”

Maki looks at him and she seems to be skeptical, but she nods slightly agreeing to Hanzo’s terms. She then moves closer to him and licks his face and nuzzles his chest. 

Her savior places his arms gently around her and hugs her close. “It will be okay Maki. Even if I am gone the forest will be safe. McCree and Genji will make sure of that, and I know you will be fine. You are strong and smart… but I will miss you.”

The wolf whines and nuzzles closer to him showing that she feels the same. They stay like this for a moment before Hanzo lets her go. “Now go warn the animals and keep them away from the edge of the forest until after dusk.”

The wolf nods and then leaves swiftly to complete her task. 

Hanzo sighs sadly as he watches her leave and his heart feels heavy with pain. He would hate for this to be the last time he sees her, but at least if it is he has no regrets about not saying goodbye to her. 

“You doing okay sweetheart?”

The healer smiles at the sound of McCree’s voice. He is no longer surprised or frightened when he appears out of nowhere. He has come to expect it at this point. He does not turn to greet him, though. Instead he continues to stare where Maki left. He crosses his arms as he looks and inhales deeply. “I am doing as well as I can in this situation.”

He listens as McCree walks closer to him. He then feels his right arm wrap around his right side and something cool around his left. The healer looks down to his left, confused, but then he smiles as he sees the metal arm around his waist. It looks just as it did when he saw it in Torbjorn’s workshop a few days ago, except engraved in the forearm piece is a skull. The blacksmith had been adamant about McCree being fully prepared for the fight and he made sure the arm was secure and ready for combat even before they had started planning.

“The skull is a nice touch.” The healer states as he continues to examine the metal limb. 

McCree lets out a small laugh. “Yeah, I figured it would show them assassins that I mean business.”

“I believe it will send a message.” Hanzo replies, amused. He then sighs and his expression becomes grim. “I am not sure we will survive this.”

McCree hums. “Yeah, I can’t be too sure either, but its better to go down fighting than let you and Genji become slaves again.”

“But this fight is not their’s.” Hanzo states as he turns to face McCree. “And it is certainly not your’s.”

The handyman nods in understanding. “True, but anyone who threatens people we care about can’t just get away with that. At least I’m pretty sure that’s how everyone else feels on the matter.”

“And how do you feel?” Hanzo asks, tone serious.

McCree grabs the healer’s hands and links their fingers together. “I intend to do whatever it takes to protect the people I care about most no matter what the situation.”

Hanzo looks at him and he can’t help but feel a sense of hope, that everything will work out and that they will all be okay. It is a flawed sense to feel, but it washes over him nevertheless. He then realizes that this is why the dragons are so afraid of him. This is why they took over his body and tried to kill him. McCree is giving Hanzo hope and causing him to gain the strength to fight back against the curse, which is something he has not had the strength to do in a long time.

The handyman seems to realize he is thinking about something important, but before he can ask what Hanzo kisses him. He then looks at the handyman with a grateful expression. “Thank you.”

“For what darling?” McCree asks, confused.

For giving me hope. For being there for me even when I didn’t know I needed someone. For trying to understand even when I pushed you away. For staying and fighting for me. For… “For being you.” 

Hanzo then kisses him again more passionately and he knows that no matter what happens today he will not regret allowing this man into his life and loving him with all his heart.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
At dusk everyone is one edge as they watch Hanzo and Genji stand outside the edge of the forest waiting for the assassins to appear. Both have weapons on them, Hanzo his bow and arrows and Genji his sword which he had kept hidden away in Hanzo’s home until now, but even that fact does not make Jesse feel any less fearful. He wants to be standing with them, but it would seem strange and he was needed here to help the others take down the assassins. 

Once the sun was gone it only took the assassins a moment to appear from seemingly nowhere. They were all dressed in black, their faces concealed, just as Jesse remembered them, but among them was a man dressed in some kind of robe. He looked dignified and seemed to be leading the assassins. Jesse noticed that Hanzo and Genji stiffened when he approached, but they kept their postures strong and intimidating. 

The altercation between this man and the brothers took place in their native tongue and they just had to watch and wait until they yelled the signal word.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The leader speaks up first. “It is good to see you both again cursed ones.”

“Pity we cannot say the same to you old man.” Genji quips.

The older man chuckles slightly. “Well, we are not here for pleasantries.” He then returns to a cold, menacing expression. “Now, where is the contract?”

Genji and Hanzo glance at each other before Hanzo reaches into his bag and pulls out the contract. He holds it up high for the old man to see. “Here it is elder.” The healer states with venom in his voice.

He was filled with fury at seeing the sight of the grand elder of the clan. He had not expected him to make an appearance, but he supposed they were desperate to have them back. Good, then it will be all the more satisfying when we prevail. He thinks before the elder continues speaking. 

“Good. We were worried you both would try to hide it from us.” He then looks to the weapons on the brothers’ backs. “Now leave your weapons and come to us and we will take you home.”

“Not until we are certain all of your assassins are here and nowhere they can hurt our friends.” Genji demands.

The elder seems perturbed by this but relents. “Very well.” He then snaps his fingers and from the shadows behind the already huge mass of assassins comes more. Eventually, the elder is surrounded by about thirty assassins. 

The overwhelming force causes both brothers some panic, but they do not falter. They stare coldly at the force in front of them, a fire in both their eyes. 

“Will you now comply with our demands?” The elder asks.

Hanzo and Genji look to each other. Genji slightly nods at him and he begins to move his hand slowly to his sword. The healer nods back to his brother and he grabs an arrow form his quiver and places it on his bow. “No!”

Genji then yells very loudly in English. “Engage!” 

Shots then begin to fire from the forest and assassins start to fall one by one. 

The elder curses then orders the assassins to attack. They run swiftly up to where Hanzo and Genji are and they begin to attack. Genji slashes anyone who gets close to them and Hanzo takes out the archers at the far sides to ensure they do not shoot at their allies in the tree line.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The fighting goes pretty smoothly for them. Genji and Hanzo taking on the forces trying to reach the trees quite effortlessly and the assassins that do make it to the small group in the forest are taken down easily by Torb, Jesse, or Fareeha. Ana is their best shot so it is best to let her concentrate on the shooting part. 

As the enemies dwindle, Jesse begins to feel hopeful about their chances and everyone seems to feel the same, but then the old man yells something and the assassins who are left retreat. 

At first, this seems like a good sign, but then he sees the old guy pull out a bottle from under his robe. The bottle glows bright, crimson red and is easy to see even from this distance. He then hands the bottle to the few assassins who are left and they all drink from it quickly. 

“No!” Hanzo yells as he aims his bow and shoots the bottle before the last five assassins can drink it, but the five others who are left managed to take a sip before Hanzo figured out what was going on. 

Jesse looks to the group of assassins, fear growing inside his gut. He then watches as they begin to glow red and then they vanish quicker then the handyman can blink and appear in the trees right next to them. They begin attacking faster then any of them can aim and Jesse hears Fareeha yelp in pain. The handyman turns to look at his friend and finds her grasping her leg as if she had been cut. 

“Faree!” He yells as he tries to move towards her, but before he can an assassin hits him in the face with the hilt of his sword then knocks him to the ground so quickly that Jesse doesn’t even have time to react and he hits the ground hard. He then has a sword to his throat and Jesse’s eyes widen as the assassin moves his sword to slice his throat, but the blade does not cut. In fact, it doesn’t leave a scratch. Jesse looks down at the blade in shock and notices that it has turned into a soft tree limb instead of a sharpened blade. 

The assassin stares at his weapon confused before he drops it and starts to choke himself. Jesse gets to his feet quickly and watches the spectacle unfold until the assassin falls to the ground, lifeless. 

Jesse stares at the body for a moment. He then looks around him and sees the other assassins falling dead. Some are victims to their swords moving on their own and stabbing them, and others are thrown into trees so hard that the force causes them to fall dead.  
It is horrifying to watch, but with each death his friends become safer and Jesse is grateful for that, but why is this happening? 

He then thinks of Hanzo and when he stopped a bullet to save his life. The handyman’s eyes widened in fear and he glances back to the tree line trying to find Hanzo. When he does, the healer is floating in the air above the field of battle and his eyes and scars are glowing vibrantly. Jesse sprints to him until he is right below him and yells at him begging him to stop, but Hanzo continues his attack until every assassin is dead.

When he finishes, he sets his gaze on the old man who stands alone now. In one quick motion, the healer glides over to him and floats directly in front of him. “You will leave these people and their families alone. You will leave my brother at peace for the rest of his days and you will never return to this town. If you do not comply I will use the contract to make a deal with the dragons to ensure your death is gruesome. Do you understand?”

The elder nods. From where Jesse is standing he looks like he is shaking in fear.

“Good.” Hanzo states, before he twirls one finger and creates a portal underneath the elder and he drops into it, screaming. 

When the elder is gone Jesse watches Hanzo intensely. He is still glowing and does not stop until he glides back to where Jesse stands. The healer then closes his eyes and when he opens them he begins to fall forward onto Jesse’s chest. 

The handyman catches Hanzo in his arms and then kneels down holding him close. He analyzes him and sees that his hair is completely white and that his skin in deathly pale. 

“No, Hanzo…” He murmurs and tears begin to fill his eyes. 

Genji runs over to them and kneels down next to Jesse, looking at his brother with a pained expression. “Hanzo no. Why did you do that? You knew you would die.”

Hanzo looks at his brother, his eyes weary, his voice a whisper as he speaks. “I couldn’t let you all die… not when I could do something.” 

Tears start to fall from Genji’s face. “You bastard. We could have… you could have…”

“Genji,” Hanzo says weakly, “It’s alright. As long as you and everyone else are safe it is alright.” The healer then looks up into Jesse’s face and the handyman is crying as he looks into his dark eyes. “I am sorry for… for…”

“You have nothing to be sorry for darling.” Jesses says, his voice filled with sadness, but a small smile is on his face. “Nothing at all.”

Hanzo smiles at him then and does his best to reach his hand to Jesse’s cheek. Jesse places his own on top of it. “Thank you Jesse…for everything… I… I love you.”

Jesse places a kiss to Hanzo’s palm. “I love you too darling.”

The healer smiles weakly before his eyes close and his hand begins to loose its grip under Jesse’s. 

Jesse begins to become overwhelmed with grief and anger. Damnit, there has to be something I can do. He doesn’t deserve this. He then thinks about the whole reason why Hanzo is in this mess and looks to the bag where the contract lies. Instantly, an idea enters Jesse’s mind and he acts on it before thinking the whole idea through. Carefully he grabs the contract from Hanzo’s bag and then dips his metal fingers in a small pool of blood from one of the nearby assassin bodies. He then proceeds to write his own name onto the contract, trying to change the deal.

Genji sees what he is trying to do and moves to stop him, yelling. “Jesse no! You can’t…”But before he can stop him, and before Jesse even finishes writing his name onto the paper, the contract lights up in a flash of white and then dims. Jesse and Genji look at each other in shock for a moment and then Jesse tries to rip the paper. 

He rips it in half with ease.

Suddenly, Hanzo’s scars begin to glow and they glow more vibrantly until they disperse off of Hanzo’s body and float in the air as small, glowing particles. Hanzo’s body then becomes its natural shade and his torso begins to move with signs of breathing. Jesse looks to Hanzo’s face and he sees him begin to open his eyes. He blinks confusedly and looks at Jesse. “What… what happened?” He then looks at Genji. “Did something happen?”

Genji smiles and lets out a breath he had been holding. “Yes, something wonderful.”

Hanzo looks confused but then his gaze falls to his hand and his eyebrows raise in disbelief. “The scars… they are…”

“Gone.” Jesse says. “Gone for good.” 

Hanzo looks at him and he smiles and starts to cry. He then raises up and kisses Jesse deeply. 

Jesse hears Genji trying to feign disgust, but he can hear the joy in his voice. The others who had gathered around after the fighting was over were whooping and hollering joyously. Everything was alright now. The fighting was over and Hanzo was alive, free, and this made Jesse happier than he had ever been.   
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Everyone had decided to celebrate their victory in town at the Amari’s place the next day. They were all sharing in drinks and eating food feeling happy to be safe and alive with their family and friends. However, not everyone was inside the house.

Outside, sitting in the grass, Hanzo was curled up in Jesse’s arms watching the sky. They had been sitting there for a while enjoying each other’s company and talking about what they would do now that Hanzo was free.

“I think I may start a shop in town to sell my elixirs.” Hanzo states with a content smile.

“That sounds like a nice idea, but traveling into town everyday from the forest might be a hassle.” Jesse replies with a content grin of his own.

“Well, I could move into town.” Hanzo smirks. “But only if I could move in with you.”

“Of course darling.” Jesse states as he kissed Hanzo temple. 

Hanzo’s smile brightens at the kiss and they sit in silence, enjoying the thought of their future together, until Jesse asks a question. “So, why was I able to break the seal you reckon?”

Hanzo ponders this for a moment. He had wondered the same thing himself and he could only come to one possible conclusion. “Well, the clue said that the emotion had to be stronger than the power. So I suppose your feelings for me and your willingness to sacrifice your life for mine overpowered the curse…” Hanzo then turns his face up to look at Jesse. “What were you feeling when you decided to sign your name to the contract?”

Jesse thinks for a second then looks down at Hanzo. “A lot of things, but I was mostly desperate to save you and I didn’t care what it took.” 

The healer smiles gratefully at the man above him. “An act of love.”

Jesse smiles back at him. “Yeah. An act of love.”

The two then share a deep kiss and continue to watch the sky, their futures seeming bright to them now that they were free and had each other.


End file.
